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Houle History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

Houle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Wales
Ireland

Etymology of Houle

What does the name Houle mean?

The ancestors of the name Houle are thought to have lived among the ancient Britons, who inhabited in the hills and Moors of present day Wales. This particular surname was derived from the Welsh personal name Hoel, which was originally derived from the Old Welsh name Houel. This name was imported by Welsh settlers into the English counties bordering Wales; however, in the eastern English counties, the name was brought by Breton settlers. The Breton forms of the name were Houuel, Huwel, Huwal, and Howael.

Early Origins of the Houle family

The surname Houle was first found in Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy), where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

King Hoel, also known as Sir Howel, Saint Hywel and Hywel the Great, was a late 5th and early 6th-century member of the ruling dynasty of Cornouaille.

Vychan Howel that is, Howel the Little (d. 825), was a Welsh prince, said to have been son of Rhodri, a reputed descendant of Cunedda and King of Gwynedd, or North Wales. "But Rhodri died in 754, and nothing is heard of Howel or of his brother Cynan whom the tenth-century genealogy of Owain ab Howel Dda makes son of Rhodri, until over fifty years later. Possibly they were Rhodri's grandsons, who emerge from obscurity when the downfall of the Mercian overlordship gave Welsh kings a better chance to attain to power. In 813 there was war between Howel and his brother Cynan, in which Howel conquered. It apparently arose from Cynan driving Howel out of Anglesey, and resulted in Howel's restoration in 814. In 816 Howel was again expelled, but the Saxons invaded Snowdon and slew Cynan. This probably brought Howel back again. He died in 825. The name Vychan comes from a late authority." 1

Dda Howel, that is, Howel the Good (d. 950), the most famous of the early Welsh kings, was the son of Cadell, the son of Rhodri Mawr, through whom his pedigree was traced by a tenth-century writer up to Cunedda and thence to 'Anne, cousin of the Blessed Virgin.' 1

Howel ab Ieuav, or Howel Ddrwg, that is, Howel The Bad (d. 984), the North Welsh prince, was the son of Ieuav, son of Idwal, who was imprisoned and deprived of his territory by his brother Iago about 969. 1

Howel ab Edwin (d. 1044), the South Welsh prince, was son of Edwin, son of Eineon, who was the son of Owain, the eldest son and successor of Howel Dda [q. v.] 1

Early History of the Houle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Houle research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1170, 1300, 1313, 1356, 1381, 1588, 1593, 1625, 1644, 1645, 1650, 1657, 1660, 1666 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Houle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Houle Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Houle have included Howell, Howel, Hawell, Howels, Howells, Hovell and many more.

Early Notables of the Houle family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Rt. Rev. Thomas Howell (1588-1650), Welsh Bishop of Bristol from 1644 to 1645, born in Llangamarch, Brecknockshire; Francis Howell (1625-1679), Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1657 to 1660; and James Howell (c.1593-1666) famous writer who lead a colourful life...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Houle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Houle World Ranking

In the United States, the name Houle is the 2,632^nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Houle is ranked the 201^st most popular surname with an estimated 18,839 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Houle is the 80^th popular surname. 4

Migration of the Houle family to Ireland

Some of the Houle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Houle migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Houle:

Houle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Job Houle, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 5

Houle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles Houle, aged 28, who landed in America from Paris, in 1900
Joseph Houle, aged 29, who landed in America, in 1911
James Charles Houle, aged 49, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1916
Alphonse Houle, aged 37, who settled in America, in 1919
Alphonso Houle, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States, in 1919
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Houle migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Houle Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Louis Houle arrived from Orléannais in 1647

Houle Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Edward Houle, aged 44, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1915
Joseph C. Houle, aged 43, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Houle (post 1700) +

John D Houle Ph.D., American Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy at Drexel University College of Medicine
Cyril Orvin Houle Ph.D. (1913-1998), American Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Chicago
Raymond Houle, American politician, Representative from Michigan 13th District, 1976 6
Henry R. Houle, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1924, 1928 6
George E. Houle, American Democratic Party politician, Elected New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 5th Ward 1938 6
E. J. Houle, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1972 6
Coral Houle, American politician, Mayor of Bloomington, Minnesota, 1995-99; Appointed 1995 6
Alfred R. Houle, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Eureka, California, 1963-81 6
Alfred Houle, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1936 6
Albert E. Houle, American Republican politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Nashua 3rd Ward, 1938 6
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html