UK boy's name
Hywel
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Hywel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Hywel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3254, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 28 births.
This profile covers 259 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 21% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 257 living people in the UK are called Hywel. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Hywel ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 28 boys were registered as Hywel.
- • About 257 living people in the UK are estimated to have Hywel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3254
2024
Births in 2024
6
Latest year
Peak year
1996
28 births
Estimated living
257
2026
Popularity
Hywel over time
The chart below shows babies named Hywel registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Hywel, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 28 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hywel by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Hywel was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3018 | 31 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3036 | 67 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2013 | 89 | 10 |
| 1990s | #887 | 72 | 4 |
Notable bearers
Famous people named Hywel
-
Hywel Stoddart
rugby union player
rugby player
1986-
-
Hywel Lloyd
racing automobile driver
British racing driver
1985-
-
Hywel Davies
rugby league player
Welsh rugby league footballer and coach
1981-
-
Hywel Jenkins
rugby union player
Welsh former professional rugby union player
1976-
-
Hywel Davies
fashion journalist; fashion writer
freelance fashion writer and journalist
1974-
-
Hywel Thomas
engineer
British engineer
1972-
-
Hywel Simons
actor; television actor; film actor
British actor
1970-
-
Hywel Williams-Ellis
actor; television actor; film actor
British actor
1960-
Related
Names similar to Hywel
- Harry 141,693
- Henry 65,177
- Harrison 45,958
- Harvey 35,648
- Harley 22,095
- Hugo 18,779
- Hayden 12,622
- Hunter 10,350
- Hudson 9,104
- Hamza 8,564
- Hassan 5,982
- Hasan 3,599
FAQ
Hywel: questions and answers
How popular is the name Hywel in the UK right now?
In 2024, Hywel was ranked #3254 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Hywel most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 28 babies registered as Hywel in England and Wales.
How many people are called Hywel in the UK?
A total of 259 babies have been registered as Hywel across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.