United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937)
"Powell became the first African American to lead the Army as chief of staff before serving in the White House cabinet."
English physicist who discovered the pion (the first known meson) which is a subatomic particle involved in holding the nucleus together (1903-1969)
"Powell was honored with the Nobel Prize after his groundbreaking discovery of the pion, the subatomic particle that helps bind atomic nuclei."
An English and Welsh surname, from Welsh.
"After years of searching, they finally found a distant relative named Powell who traced their family tree back to Wales."
Powell is the Anglicized version of the Welsh phrase ap Hywel, meaning "son of Hywel." The name entered English usage as a surname derived from this patronymic form, though it has occasionally been mistakenly linked to Paul through folk etymology.