Howe Surname

5,199th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 108,953 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Montserrat

Howe Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Hugh'; How, in South England. 'Howe, Hewe, propyr name, Hugo': Promptorium Parvulorum (a) Local, 'of the howes.' How, a hill, a mound; compare Silver How and Fox How in the Lake district of England.

Read More About This Surname

Howe Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States55,9991:6,473763
England22,3821:2,489319
Australia8,8141:3,063423
Canada7,0981:5,191752
Liberia2,3561:1,871247
Germany2,2891:35,1714,645
New Zealand1,3991:3,237487
Puerto Rico1,1511:3,084257
Wales1,0421:2,970321
Scotland8771:6,105980
South Africa7251:74,7289,286
Ireland6771:6,9561,016
Northern Ireland4871:3,789748
Jamaica4651:6,172772
Brazil3201:668,98224,697
Ghana2771:97,5489,187
Belize2091:1,701388
Malaysia2031:145,2929,130
Swaziland2021:6,427396
Thailand1911:369,83464,954
Tanzania1531:346,02425,597
Trinidad and Tobago1211:11,2731,538
Zimbabwe1091:141,63518,305
Spain1041:449,53923,540
France821:810,03397,301
Indonesia821:1,612,795106,468
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines691:1,633337
China591:23,174,9421,270
Kuwait581:65,5297,566
Papua New Guinea571:143,04819,694
Netherlands551:307,04036,360
Dominican Republic541:193,2027,170
Guernsey511:1,264261
Nigeria441:4,025,972113,480
Denmark411:137,67612,271
Sweden411:240,16516,652
Switzerland401:205,32317,881
Panama341:115,0664,183
Philippines311:3,265,749145,701
Isle of Man281:3,065663
United States Virgin Islands251:4,415699
Antigua and Barbuda231:4,312570
Argentina231:1,858,40995,340
Belgium221:522,57550,051
Montserrat221:22549
Hong Kong211:349,3093,156
Singapore211:262,27211,611
Saint Kitts and Nevis201:2,760392
Honduras171:518,6143,437
Jersey171:5,8351,193
Qatar161:147,37516,023
Bermuda151:4,352690
Japan151:8,522,95344,380
Italy141:4,368,335106,343
United Arab Emirates141:654,44824,061
Cayman Islands111:5,808770
Norway111:467,48139,375
Gibraltar101:3,395741
Barbados91:31,9391,516
British Virgin Islands71:4,513453
Israel71:1,222,51968,299
Uruguay71:490,25125,911
Mexico61:20,687,70153,861
Norfolk Island61:38264
Cameroon51:4,153,814129,697
Chile51:3,523,29539,650
Czechia51:2,126,694115,412
Finland51:1,099,34045,512
Grenada51:21,7071,054
Russia51:28,824,611530,332
DR Congo41:18,469,892182,906
Egypt41:22,983,93862,368
Laos41:1,647,081888
Mongolia41:706,32211,365
Poland41:9,502,187181,606
Austria31:2,838,47893,604
Cuba31:3,840,90513,116
Falkland Islands31:1,044221
India31:255,688,4611,306,352
South Korea31:17,080,0852,793
Turkey31:25,940,474162,557
Zambia31:5,283,30743,479
Benin21:5,167,80184,334
Ecuador21:7,952,92334,269
Haiti21:5,341,95421,336
Pakistan21:89,321,942157,560
Taiwan21:11,722,37363,559
Yemen21:13,212,64740,633
Afghanistan11:32,153,18360,828
Albania11:2,914,05529,474
Aruba11:103,4772,586
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Belarus11:9,501,059159,228
Burkina Faso11:18,352,10030,051
Colombia11:47,774,07244,230
Curaçao11:157,2471,313
Dominica11:75,891912
Ethiopia11:97,546,26229,669
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Guam11:160,1214,893
Guyana11:762,22114,420
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Iran11:76,782,524277,718
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
Liechtenstein11:38,3781,726
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
Malta11:430,2723,380
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Myanmar11:51,937,9852,166
Namibia11:2,409,40119,676
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Saint Lucia11:178,7813,800
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Venezuela11:30,204,07785,459
Vietnam11:92,646,0548,382
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland6881:6,4391,021
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England11,1501:2,186313
Scotland3401:11,0091,371
Wales2871:5,465365
Isle of Man71:7,753762
Jersey11:51,8823,898
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States16,2701:3,087359

The alternate forms: Höwe (14) are calculated separately.

Howe (1,009) may also be a first name.

Howe Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Hugh'; How, in South England. 'Howe, Hewe, propyr name, Hugo': Promptorium Parvulorum (a) Local, 'of the howes.' How, a hill, a mound; compare Silver How and Fox How in the Lake district of England.

'Lands in the Howes, which he had from his mother Alice del Howes' (ext. deed of grant by John de Levens), temp. Edward I: History Westm. and Cumb.

Roger del Howes, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Richard del Howes, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Letitia atte How, 1313. Writs of Parliament.

John de la How, Norfolk: History of Norfolk.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(Scandinavian) 1 Dweller at a Hill, Hillock, or Tumulus [Middle English how(e; O.N. haug-r, (burial) mound] 2 Dweller in a Hollow or Dell [by confusion, ‘how(e’ eventually came to be applied in parts of the North to a hollow or dell at the foot of the how(e or hill; but sometimes ‘how,’ or ‘hou,’ seems to be for Old Norse hol = Old English hol, a hollow] Letitia atte How.—Parl. Writs, A.D. 1313. William del Howe.—Lanc. Fines, A.D. 1369.

Cp. Hough.

(Teutonic) a form of Hugh, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

V. How.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(Celtic) the Welsh Howel, Anglo- Saxonized as Huwal, Huwel, Latinized as Hoel-us [prob. O.Wel. hoew, alert, sprightly + the diminutive suff. -el) The most famous historical bearer of this name was the tenth-century Welsh prince Howel Da— A Howel da uab Kadell vrenhin penn a molyant yr holl Vrytanyeit a vu uarw.

(And Howel the Good, son of Cadell. king, head and glory of all the Britons, died).—Brut y Tywysogion, A.D. 948.

Hoelus filius Owein obiit.—Annales Cambriae, A.D. 1041.

Arthur was at Caerlleon-upon-Usk, his principal palace; and in the centre of the floor of the hall were four men .... Owain ab Urien, Gwalchmai ab Gwyar, Howel ab Emyr Llydaw, and Peredur of the long lance.—‘Peredur ab Evrawc’: Mabinogion, tr. Guest.

And ealle þa cyngas þe on þyssum iglande wæron he ge-wylde: ærest Huwal West Wala cyning . . .

(And all the kings that in this island were he [Æthelstan] ruled: first, Huwal, or Howel, of the West Welsh king . . .) A.-Saxon Chron., A.D. 926.

Hoel son Oeni.—Pipe-Roll, A.D. 1161.

Howel le Waleys [Welshman].— Parliamentary Writs Cp. Powell.

(English) belonging to Howell, or Dweller at the How or Hough Well or Spring [v. under How and Hough, and + Middle English welle, Old English w(i)ella]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

This well known English name is, in Ireland, an occasional synonym of Hoey and of Hough, q.v

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

“Hill” in Old Norse. Also variation on Hugh.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(English) Descendant of How, a variant of Hugh (spirit); dwellers on, or near, a projecting ridge of land, a promontory; one who came from Howe (hill), the name of places in Norfolk and Yorkshire.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A high place, a hill; critically, a hill in a valley. De La Howe, "from the hill,"was originally the name of the family. They came to England with William the Conqueror. (See Athill.)

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

(English), Hugh, or the same as Hawes or How, q. v.

Surnames (1857) by Bernard Homer Dixon

A location name in Norfolk, Yorkshire From from the Old Norse, haugr; a cairn over one dead. Orfrom the Danish, Hau, Hou; a personal name.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Howe Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Howe Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Howe is carried by more people in The United States than any other country or territory. It may appear as: Höwe. For other possible spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Howe? popularity and diffusion

The surname Howe is the 5,199th most commonly occurring family name world-wide, held by around 1 in 66,887 people. The last name is primarily found in The Americas, where 60 percent of Howe reside; 58 percent reside in North America and 58 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 253,213th most frequent first name world-wide, held by 1,009 people.

It is most frequent in The United States, where it is held by 55,999 people, or 1 in 6,473. In The United States it is most common in: California, where 9 percent reside, New York, where 6 percent reside and Texas, where 5 percent reside. Without taking into account The United States Howe exists in 122 countries. It is also found in England, where 21 percent reside and Australia, where 8 percent reside.

Howe Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Howe has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Howe last name rose 344 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 201 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 363 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 258 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it declined 2 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Howe Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the surname is principally Catholic (45%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Howe surname are 10.8% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 57.57% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Howe earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 78.98% more than the national average, earning 619,426 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 68.49% more than the national average, earning R 400,392 per year; in United States they earn 3.78% more than the national average, earning $44,780 USD per year and in Canada they earn 2.63% more than the national average, earning $50,992 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Höwe9214/
Howie8916,832/
Howey895,026/
Chowe892,320/
Khowe8980/
Houwe8967/
Hoewe8929/
Howei8926/
Howue8923/
Howee896/
Howea895/
Hoowe893/
Howeh892/
Howeu891/
Hohwe891/
Hhowe890/
How8621,448/
Owe862,145/
Chohwe8097/
Houwes8013/
Houwez8010/
Chowet806/
Chowes806/
Khouwe805/
Chowey805/
Howiey805/
Houwei804/
Chowie803/
Hoehwe801/
Khowey801/
Chouwe801/
Chowez801/
Howedt801/
Howeit801/
Howoey801/
Howwes801/
Hoywer801/
Howesr801/
Choowe801/
Chowee801/
Howeiz801/
Howeid801/
Howeye800/
Howess800/
Hoiswe800/
Choe754,012,121/
Chow75255,686/
Hove7535,310/
Hobe757,989/
Owie756,353/
Hoye754,034/
Owei753,144/
Hawe752,436/
Huwe752,243/
Owhe752,000/
Oweh751,754/
Khoe751,472/
Houe75938/
Hüwe75721/
Hewe75669/
Khow75643/
Ouwe75307/
Uhwe75266/
Houw75265/
Ahwe75241/
Owee75181/
Hoie75163/
Ohwe75100/
Howi7561/
Ehwe7547/
Hoje7525/
Owey7522/
Ojwe7522/
Hoej7517/
Hoow757/
Owue755/
Oiwe755/
Howy754/
Oweu754/
Owwe753/
Hhow753/
Huow752/
Hoiw752/
Oywe752/
Owje752/
Howh751/
Oowe751/
Owea751/
Oewe751/
Howeihe7348/
Choowet739/
Houweij734/
Howeyhe734/
Chouwet734/
Howiehe733/
Choohwe732/
Chouwer731/
Houwest731/
Houweiz731/
Chochwe731/
Chowieh731/
Chouweh731/
Choowee731/
Oe6735,644/
Hovey678,816/
Ow677,308/
Hover674,936/
Chobe674,091/
Chawe673,675/
Hogge673,639/
Hoyes673,252/
Khoje672,507/
Ahoue672,257/
Hoeve671,921/
Choey671,802/
Howay671,736/
Khoei671,711/
Houet671,195/
Hoyez671,085/
Hoyet671,060/
Chove671,059/
Hewey67788/
Khouw67755/
Khawe67680/
Haoue67670/
Choei67659/
Hovet67625/
Hoyed67623/
Ohoue67568/
Hojge67558/
Khoey67542/
Houee67490/
Hogie67437/
Hoveh67354/
Chuwe67311/
Hawey67288/
Khowi67269/
Hoves67235/
Oweye67232/
Höwer67225/
Khuwe67211/
Houes67208/
Hawea67200/
Hoube67189/
Hewie67183/
Hooie67176/
Hoeij67160/
Howai67148/
Houei67147/
Hawie67131/
Gohwe67125/
Houey67124/
Khoie67109/
Hovie67105/
Hauwe67104/
Khoye67102/
Choye6799/
Ahuwe6789/
Hoyee6787/
Hewei6781/
Hosue6780/
Hoyeh6779/
Hojwa6776/
Haweh6769/
Choie6768/
Hovea6765/
Hobey6761/
Owehi6758/
Houed6752/
Houye6752/
Khoee6751/
Hovee6750/
Houée6750/
Chuow6748/
Houwa6746/
Choje6746/
Hochweiß6746/
Ahwie6746/
Chowh6744/
Hohwy6743/
Hooee6743/
Choue6741/
D'Houwer6735/
Houie6735/
Guhwe6734/
Ahwee6734/
Owetz6734/
Khove6731/
Hoehe6729/
Hochweis6729/
Hoive6728/
Chowi6727/
Hawee6727/
Oweae6725/
Ojwer6721/
Hawei6720/
Huwez6720/
Huwei6720/
Houez6717/
Hoywa6717/
Hijoe6715/
Haewe6715/
Houue6713/
Hovej6713/
Hawue6712/
Hoove6712/
Choowech6712/
Haioe6711/
Hoiye6711/
Owehy6711/
Hoyep6711/
Hoeai6710/
Hawée6710/
Chouw679/
Hooue679/
Hojje678/
Houve678/
Ahawe678/
Oweih678/
Hobeh678/
Choee677/
Houwi677/
Auhwe677/
Ahwed676/
Hoiwa676/
Uchwe676/
Ouwei676/
Hovge675/
Hobee675/
Owije675/
Hovez675/
Hobei675/
Howyo675/
Oihoe674/
Owehe674/
Owoey674/
Choweich674/
Oweed674/
Khoue673/
Hoyoe673/
Hoevy673/
Houje673/
Huoye673/
Choow673/
Oweje673/
Ahwei673/
Haawe673/
Chowy673/
Hewwe673/
Oywee673/
Jowue673/
Owhes673/
Hoyey672/
Hohge672/
Owehs672/
Hoobe672/
Hoehi672/
Hojae672/
Ehwie672/
Howaa672/
Owhie672/
Owher672/
Owieh672/
Hoibe672/
Huweh672/
Houeh672/
Oswei672/
Ahwes672/
Hobhe672/
Oweie672/
Huwee672/
Khowy671/
Ouswe671/
Oweaz671/
Oowey671/
Haweu671/
Haswe671/
Huwey671/
Hoved671/
Howeisch671/
Howhs671/
Howid671/
Hoyeu671/
Hoyhe671/
Hoewy671/
Heuwe671/
Hoied671/
Ahweh671/
Hoybe671/
Hoiet671/
Howys671/
Gowwe671/
Howwa671/
Ouwge671/
Owuhe671/
Uhwei671/
Uuhwe671/
Ooweh671/
Ahswe671/
Oshwe671/
Joowe671/
Huywe671/
Houeï671/
Houej671/
Hooye671/
Hovhe671/
Hoyae671/
Howiy671/
Howiś671/
Howoa671/
Hewee671/
Hojet671/
Haweé671/
Hawje671/
Hawwe671/
Haïwe671/
Ouhwe671/
Ouweu671/
Oweeh671/
Oweet671/
Owejs671/
Owgeh671/
O'Wei671/
Goowe671/
Owedh671/
Ohwee671/
Hoeyi671/
Hojej671/
Hhobe671/
Huwie671/
Uhwea671/
Uhwes671/
Ouweh671/
Ouywe671/
Oweph671/
Owwge671/
Owedd671/
Oowei671/
Uhwet671/
Chooweth671/
Huwea671/
Hojoe671/
Khoow671/
Hayoe670/
Hawge670/
Gahwe670/
Hoehy670/
Hoeje670/
Gowge670/

Search for Another Surname

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Howe
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis