Hywel
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- HUH-wel
- Origin
- Welsh
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,329 for boys
Hywel is a boys' name of Welsh origin, meaning “eminent, conspicuous”. In 2025 it ranked 3,329th for boys in the UK (6 babies).
What does Hywel mean?
Welsh
“eminent, conspicuous”
Hywel Dda, 'Hywel the Good', was a 10th-century Welsh king traditionally credited with codifying Welsh law.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Hywel a girl's or a boy's name?
Hywel is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Hywel in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,329th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 6 about 1 in 50,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 6% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 6 boys in the UK were named Hywel, making it the 3,329th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,108th. Its busiest year was 1996, with 28 boys.
Half of all the boys named Hywel in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2015. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Among boys in 2025, it was 3,239th in England and Wales.
Hywel in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #3,329 |
| 2024 | 6 | #3,335 |
| 2023 | 7 | #2,965 |
| 2022 | 6 | #3,219 |
| 2021 | 7 | #2,886 |
| 2020 | 6 | #3,108 |
| 2019 | 4 | #4,126 |
| 2018 | 8 | #2,576 |
| 2017 | 6 | #3,191 |
| 2016 | 9 | #2,468 |
| 2015 | 5 | #3,527 |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,063 |
| 2013 | 7 | #2,792 |
| 2012 | 11 | #2,080 |
| 2011 | 10 | #2,158 |
| 2010 | 3 | #4,865 |
| 2009 | 11 | #1,959 |
| 2008 | 4 | #3,836 |
| 2007 | 4 | #3,748 |
| 2006 | 9 | #1,995 |
| 2005 | 11 | #1,701 |
| 2004 | 10 | #1,688 |
| 2003 | 8 | #1,880 |
| 2002 | 9 | #1,594 |
| 2001 | 8 | #1,690 |
| 2000 | 15 | #1,057 |
| 1999 | 14 | #1,087 |
| 1998 | 16 | #980 |
| 1997 | 14 | #1,066 |
| 1996 | 28 | #629 |
Names like Hywel
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Michael, David, Patrick, Angus, Adam, Robert, Marcus, Daniel, Samuel, Liam, Joseph, Thomas
More Welsh names
Dylan, Owen, Winnie, Maddox, Morgan, Idris, Reese, Bowen, Griffin, Rhys, Gavin, Reece, Nia, Seren, Gwendolyn, Winifred
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Hywel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/hywel, updated 20 October 2026.