Talk:Hywel Dda

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[edit] Moving of article

I have moved this article to Hywel Dda from Howell the Good, which is the form normally used these days even in English. Applying the Google test: Howell the Good 783 hits; Hywel the Good 327 hits; Hywel Dda 20,800 hits. Some of the hits for Hywel Dda are in Welsh of course, but even if only half of them are in English it is still a pretty clear majority. Rhion 12:42, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Powell, son of Howell?

Hi all. I find this at the bottom of the Powell disambiguation page: Powell is a traditional Welsh surname said to mean "Son of the Servant of St. Paul," and often indicates descent from King Hywel the Good. The Welsh term "ap" means "son of", hence Ap Hywel was eventually spelled as Powell. Is this correct? Could it be added to this page? Regards, --Powo 22:35, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Hi Powo. The bit from the Powell disambiguation page is correct in so far as Powell does derive from the Welsh "ap Hywel" or "ap Howell". However it is not true that the surname often indicates descent from King Hywel the Good, since patronymics were usually used in Wales until (roughly) the 18th century. For example. Hywel's son was Owain ap Hywel, but Owain's son was Maredudd ab Owain. The "Powells" would derive from a much later Hywel. As for the meaning "Son of the Servant of St. Paul" I've never heard this before and I rather doubt it. Rhion 07:15, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your explanations! --Powo 07:37, 24 May 2006 (UTC)