Powell
A masculine name of Welsh origin meaning "one from a boundary brook".
Name Census estimates that about 730 living Americans carry the first name Powell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Powell today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Powell births was 1919 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Powell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
730
~ 1 in 469,526 Americans
Peak year
1919
32 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,145
Tracked since 1883
Gender
Gender distribution for Powell
Out of the 1,482 babies given the name Powell since 1880, 99.6% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Powell as a male name
- Ranked #8,145 in 2024
- 10 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1919 (32 births)
Powell as a female name
- Ranked #15,786 in 2016
- 6 female births in 2016
- Peak: 2016 (6 births)
Popularity
Powell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Powell from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 208 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Powell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Powell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Powells live
Origin
Meaning and history of Powell
The name Powell has its origins in the Welsh language and culture. It is derived from the Welsh word "ap Hywel," which means "son of Hywel." Hywel was a common Welsh name that can be traced back to the 9th century AD.
In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled as "ap Hywel" or "ap Howell." Over time, it evolved into the modern spelling of "Powell." The name was initially used as a patronymic, indicating the father's name, but eventually became a distinct surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Powell can be found in the Welsh Chronicles, where it appears as "Hywel ap Rhys" in the 12th century. This individual was a prominent Welsh prince and nobleman.
During the Middle Ages, the name Powell began to spread beyond Wales and into other parts of Britain. It was particularly common in the English counties of Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire, which had strong Welsh influences.
Notable individuals named Powell throughout history include:
1. William Powell (1592-1652), an English actor and playwright during the Elizabethan era, known for his roles in Shakespeare's plays.
2. Enoch Powell (1912-1998), a British politician and controversial figure known for his "Rivers of Blood" speech on immigration.
3. Robert Towne Powell (1918-2007), an American artist and printmaker, best known for his woodcut prints depicting scenes from the American West.
4. Michael Powell (1905-1990), an English filmmaker and director, known for his collaborations with Emeric Pressburger, including "The Red Shoes" and "Black Narcissus."
5. Colin Powell (1937-2021), an American statesman and retired four-star general who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State under President George W. Bush.
The name Powell has a rich history and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, from the arts and literature to politics and military service.
People
Powell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Powell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Powell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Powell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 730 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Powell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 469,526 US residents.
Is Powell a common name?
We classify Powell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,482 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Powell most popular?
The single biggest year for Powell was 1919, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Powell is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Powell a male name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Powell in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.