Lowell

Lowell began as a surname with a Norman French wolf connection. Its name family goes back to a diminutive of a word for wolf, giving the interpretation “little wolf.” The surname became established in English, so the first name carries both a French linguistic root and an English surname history. Its final syllable is part of that inherited form rather than a combination with the modern word well.

Several generations of American poets have made Lowell familiar as a surname, including Amy, James Russell, and Robert Lowell. As a given name, it was borne by broadcaster Lowell Thomas and Connecticut governor Lowell Weicker. Those associations give it a substantial public history beyond its animal meaning. Loel is an attested alternative spelling, but Lowell makes the connection to the established surname especially clear.