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

Howdyshell, 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 Howdyshell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Howdyshell in America

Howdyshell is the 30916th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Howdyshell surname appeared 752 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 Howdyshell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Howdyshell 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 Howdyshell

The surname HOWDYSHELL has its origins in the rural areas of northern England, likely emerging in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is believed to be derived from a combination of the Old English words "hwaet" (meaning "what") and "schele" (meaning "shed" or "shelter"), which may have been used to refer to a small outbuilding or dwelling.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the village of Stainton, Yorkshire, where a William Howdyshell was listed as a resident in 1612. Another early reference comes from the court records of Lancashire, where a Thomas Howdyshell was mentioned in a land dispute in 1637.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the HOWDYSHELL name appears to have been concentrated primarily in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland. Notable individuals from this period include John Howdyshell (1670-1742), a farmer and landowner in the village of Sedbergh, and Mary Howdyshell (1712-1789), who is recorded as having been a midwife in the town of Kendal.

As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many families bearing the HOWDYSHELL surname began to migrate southward in search of employment opportunities in the growing cities and industrial centers. One such individual was William Howdyshell (1825-1898), who moved from Yorkshire to Birmingham and worked as a skilled metalworker.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the HOWDYSHELL name also began to appear in historical records from other parts of the world, likely as a result of emigration from England. For example, James Howdyshell (1860-1932) was a farmer in Ontario, Canada, while Henry Howdyshell (1875-1949) served in the British Army and was stationed in India for several years.

Other notable individuals with the HOWDYSHELL surname throughout history include the author and journalist Emily Howdyshell (1885-1967), who wrote for several prominent newspapers in London, and the artist and sculptor Robert Howdyshell (1920-2003), whose work was exhibited in galleries across Europe and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Howdyshell

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

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 Howdyshell 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 Howdyshell 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 Howdyshell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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