Find out how popular the last name Howden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Howden.

Howden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Howden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Howden in America

Howden is the 27081st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Howden surname appeared 894 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Howden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Howden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Howden

The surname Howden is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is a locational name derived from the village of Howden in Yorkshire, England. The place-name itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hoh" meaning "heel" or "ridge," and "denu" meaning "valley" or "deep valley."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Houdene." This suggests that the name has been in use for at least nine centuries.

During the Middle Ages, the name Howden was particularly prominent in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas. In the 13th century, a Robert de Howden was a canon of the Church of Howden, while in the 14th century, a John de Howden was a prominent landowner in the region.

In the 15th century, the name is recorded in various spellings, such as "Howdene," "Houdene," and "Howdyn." This variation in spelling was common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

One notable bearer of the name was Roger Howden, a 12th-century English chronicler and author of the "Chronica" and "Gesta Regis Henrici Secundi." He was born around 1145 and died sometime after 1201.

Another famous Howden was John Howden, a 14th-century English theologian and philosopher who studied at the University of Oxford. He was born around 1320 and is known for his work on logic and metaphysics.

In the 16th century, the name is found in various records, including the Parish Registers of Yorkshire, where it appears in forms such as "Howdene" and "Houden."

One notable bearer from this period was Richard Howden, a 16th-century English merchant and explorer who traveled to the New World. He was born around 1540 and is known for his expeditions to the Caribbean and South America.

In the 17th century, the name is found in various parish records, including those of the village of Howden itself. One notable bearer from this period was William Howden, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who was born around 1620 and wrote on theological subjects.

In the 18th century, the name continued to be found in various records, including those of the village of Howden and the surrounding areas. One notable bearer from this period was John Howden, a 18th-century English architect who was born around 1730 and is known for his work on various churches and public buildings in Yorkshire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Howden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Howden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Howden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Howden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Howden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Howden, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!