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Powell Family History

Powell Surname Meaning

Welsh: Anglicized form of Welsh ap Hywel ‘son of Hywel’ a personal name meaning ‘eminent’ (see Howell).

Irish: mainly of Welsh origin as in 1 above but sometimes a surname adopted as equivalent of Gaelic Mac Giolla Phóil ‘son of the servant of Saint Paul’ (see Guilfoyle).

English: variant of Paul or Poole.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Powell family from?

You can see how Powell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Powell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Powell families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 4,866 Powell families living in London. This was about 13% of all the recorded Powell's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Powell families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Powell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Powell ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Powell. 6% of Powell men worked as a General Labourer and 63% of Powell women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Powell were Incapacitated and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Powell | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    6%
  • Farmer
    4%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    63%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Powell family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Powell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Powell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Powell

Passenger Lists

There are 125,000 immigration records available for the last name Powell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Powell immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 234,000 military records available for the last name Powell. For the veterans among your Powell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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