by 950 AD.

Howell as a surname is derived from the name of an ancestor, meaning the "son of Hoel" (and variants). Its original Welsh form would use the prefix ''ap'', for example: Owain ap Hywel ("Owain son of Hywel"). The Latin motto for the Howell family name is Virtus in arduo (variously translated as "Valour in difficulty", "Strength in difficulty" or "Virtue in difficulty"). Howell (and its variant forms) as