The study started in earnest following the construction of my family tree based on names and dates written by my great grandfather in the back of an 1874 Sussex edition of Kelly's Directory.  This was followed in 1988 by membership of several family history societies to verify and expand the tree.  A trip to Dorset enabled contact with a cousin who had photographs and knowledge of the family leading back to the eighteenth century.  Building on this, a visit to the Dorchester records office when original parish records were still able to be viewed provided a further generation back living in Long Bredy in 1759.  That was as far back as I could prove and therefore was the point at which the wider search started.

The most common early variants of the Hounsell surname appear to be Hownsell and Hounsel.  There are many other spellings which are either misinterpretations or transcription errors.  Hansell is usually a separate surname but examples have been found used in error for Hounsell.  There appears to be one exception where Joseph Gale Hounsell emigrated to Australia and changed his surname to Hansell.  

A Frank Edward Hounsell apparently changed his surname from Hounsham to Hounsell at the beginning of the First World War.

Occasionally transcription errors are the other way round, e.g. Kinsett mistaken as Hounsell.

A list of the erroneous names will be added to below as they are discovered:

Ansell, Aunsell

Bounsell

Dounsell

Founsell

Hainsel, Hainsell, Hamsel, Hamsell, Hanndrell, Hansell,  Hannsell, Hanser, Harnell, Harnsal, Haunsel, Haunsell

Hemsell, Hennsell, Heunsell

Hoinwell, Hommell, Homsell, Honasell, Honeysett, Honinsell, Honnel, Honnell, Hononsell, Honosell, Honsel, Honseley, Honsell, Honsells, Honselt, Honnsall, Honnsell, Honnselt, Honswill, Honusele, Hoonsell, Horensell, Hormansell, Hormsell, Hornell, Hornsell, Hornsil, Hornville, Horsewell, Horsnall, Horsnell, Horunsell, Horwell

Houmde, Houmell, Houmsell, Houng, Hounell, Hounfell, Houns, Hounsly, Hounbell, Houncell, Houndle, Houndsel, Houndsell, Hounsall, Hounseel, Hounseh, Hounsel, Hounsele, Hounselea, Hounselle, Hounsett, Hounsew, Hounsile, Hounsil, Hounsile, Hounsill, Hounsilt, Hounslow, Hounsoll, Hounsrt, Hounswell, Hounzell, Hoursell, Hourrsell, Housall, Housedell, Housell, Housesde, Houset, Housewell, Housnell, Houssele, Houssell, Houusell

Howell, Howells, Howersell, Hownsell, Howsell, Hownisett, Howensell

Huensell, Hunneysell, Hunnsell, Hunsal, Hunsell, Hunslivait, Hurnsell, Hustle

Mounsell

Nounsell

Ounsell

The name was understood in my family to have originated from the Huguenots but research has shown that Hounsells were already well established in Dorset in the sixteenth century.

Could it be derived from a Saxon name or a local place name?  For example there is Houns Tout, a promontory on the Dorset South West Coastal Path.

Houns Tout near Chapmans Pool, Dorset

Giles Hounsell was mayor of Weymouth & Melcombe Regis in 1680

Although still a work in progress a large number of family groups have been identified in the following countries:

Britain

America

Canada

Australia

New Zealand

Quite a number of Hounsell families have been reconstructed using available data.  This is a regular exercise.