2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Howbert
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "high bright place".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Howbert. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howbert surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Howbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howbert
The surname Howbert can be traced back to England, where it originated during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hoh," meaning "heel" or "ridge," and "beorht," meaning "bright" or "shining." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive name to someone who lived near a bright or shining ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Howbert can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Houberde." This entry suggests that the name had already been established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Howberd" and "Howberte," in various records and manuscripts from different parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Buckinghamshire.
One notable early bearer of the name was William Howbert, a landowner from Nottinghamshire who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1195. Another significant figure was Sir John Howbert, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name evolved into its modern spelling of "Howbert." One prominent individual from this period was Richard Howbert, a merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived from 1550 to 1621.
In the 18th century, the name Howbert was found in various places across England, including the village of Howbert in Buckinghamshire, which likely derived its name from an early bearer of the surname.
Several notable individuals with the surname Howbert can be found throughout history, including:
1. Thomas Howbert (1615-1689), an English clergyman and author.
2. John Howbert (1720-1796), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Sarah Howbert (1789-1867), an English writer and poet.
4. William Howbert (1810-1892), a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and Asia.
5. Edward Howbert (1846-1917), an American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The surname Howbert has a rich historical background, with its origins dating back to medieval England and its evolution reflecting the linguistic and geographical changes that occurred over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Howbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Howbert bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Howbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 105
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howbert
Howbert appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+15 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,295 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 6,295 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,616 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Howbert surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #144,141 | #145,757 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115 | 115 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howbert bearers went from 115 to 115 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,757.
FAQ
Howbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howbert?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Howbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Howbert?
Howbert ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Howbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Howbert.
Has Howbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howbert went from 115 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Howbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Howbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Howbert (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Howbert mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "high bright place". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Howbert (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Howbert?
See how many people have the last name Howbert on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.