2000
#249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109,634
First available Census row
Per 100,000 40.64
Common Last name
Howell
Derived from the Welsh name Hywel, meaning "eminent" or "prominent," and likely referring to a landowner or person of influence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123,174 Americans carry the last name Howell. That puts it at #286 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 35.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,783 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Howell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
123K
1 in 2,783
Census rank
#286
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
35.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107,414 bearers of the surname Howell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 35.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 286th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howell
The surname Howell originates from Wales, deriving from the Old English words "hol" meaning "hollow" or "hole" and "well" meaning "spring" or "stream." This combination suggests the name initially referred to someone who lived near a stream or spring in a hollow or valley. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Howel, found in the ancient Welsh Chronicles from around the 11th century.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a census record commissioned by William the Conqueror, the name is listed as Howel and Howelle among landowners in various counties of England, indicating the name had already spread from its Welsh origins. By the 13th century, various spellings like Howell, Howelle, and Howel appeared in records across England and Wales.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the Howell surname was Sir John Howell, a Welsh soldier and diplomat born around 1350. He served under King Edward III and later became the Standard Bearer of England during the reign of Richard II. Another notable figure was Thomas Howell (1588-1646), a Welsh Member of Parliament and one of the judges who presided over the trial of King Charles I during the English Civil War.
In the 16th century, the name Howell was particularly prevalent in the Welsh counties of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Glamorganshire, where several Howell families held lands and estates. James Howell (1594-1666), a renowned writer and historian from Carmarthen, published a famous collection of letters and travel narratives during this period.
The name also has connections to various place names in Wales, such as Howell's Cross in Pembrokeshire and Howell's Hill in Monmouthshire, which likely derived from the surname. In the 18th century, Francis Howell (1625-1679), a Welsh lawyer and landowner, served as the High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire and is remembered for his influential role in local politics.
Throughout history, the Howell surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including the American explorer and frontiersman David Howell (1747-1828), who played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the American West. Additionally, the British Romantic poet Thomas Howell (1768-1844) gained recognition for his works celebrating nature and rural life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howell
Among Census respondents with the surname Howell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Howell 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 Howell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 81,942
- Black or African American14.9% · 15,965
- Two or more races4.1% · 4,429
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 3,701
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 734
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 643
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howell
Howell 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
#272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112,041
+2,407 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 37.98
Rank movement Down 23 places
2020
#286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107,414
-4,627 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 35.94
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #249 | 109,634 | 40.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #272 | 112,041 | 37.98 | +2,407 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 23 places |
| 2020 | #286 | 107,414 | 35.94 | -4,627 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 14 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 Howell 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 | #272 | #286 | -5.1% |
| Count | 112,041 | 107,414 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 37.98 | 35.94 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howell bearers went from 112,041 to 107,414 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #272 to #286.
FAQ
Howell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howell?
Name Census estimates that about 123,174 living Americans carry the surname Howell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,783 residents.
How common is Howell?
Howell ranks #286 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 35.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 36 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107,414 people with the surname Howell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123,174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 35.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 35.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 36 of them to have the surname Howell.
Has Howell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howell went from 112,041 recorded bearers to 107,414. That is a decrease of 4,627 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #272 to #286.
What does the Census say about the background of Howell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howell, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Howell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (81,942 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (14.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Howell (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 Howell mean?
Derived from the Welsh name Hywel, meaning "eminent" or "prominent," and likely referring to a landowner or person of influence. 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 Howell (35.94 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 have the last name Howell?
Want to know how many people have the last name Howell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.