2000
#10,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,848
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Howells
From the Welsh name Hywel, meaning "eminent" or "prominent," combined with the patronymic suffix -s, indicating "son of Hywel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,292 Americans carry the last name Howells. That puts it at #10,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howells 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 Howells with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,117
Census rank
#10,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,871 bearers of the surname Howells in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howells, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howells
The surname Howells is of Welsh origin, deriving from the personal name "Hywel" or "Howell". The name Hywel is an ancient Welsh name meaning "prominent" or "conspicuous". It is believed to have originated in the 9th century or earlier.
The surname Howells is thought to have first emerged in the Welsh counties of Glamorgan, Monmouthshire, and Pembrokeshire. These regions were strongholds of the Welsh language and culture throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era.
In its early forms, the name was rendered as "Howel", "Howell", or "Houel" in various medieval records and documents. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Houel" in the entry for Gloucestershire.
By the 13th century, the surname Howells had become more widespread across Wales and parts of western England. Notable early bearers of the name include Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd (c.1170-1241), a Welsh prince and military leader, and Hywel Fychan (c.1300-1370), a Welsh landowner and influential figure in medieval Powys.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Howells surname gained prominence in the English counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset, likely due to migration from Wales. During this period, the name was sometimes anglicized to "Howles" or "Howles".
Among the notable individuals with the surname Howells throughout history are:
- Sir William Howells (c.1585-1647), a Welsh lawyer and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.
- William Dean Howells (1837-1920), an American novelist and literary critic, considered a leading figure of the realist movement in American literature.
- Herbert Norman Howells (1892-1983), an English composer and teacher, known for his choral works and chamber music.
- Denton Howells (1916-1998), a Welsh rugby union player who captained the British Lions on their 1950 tour of New Zealand and Australia.
- Betsy Howells (1923-2005), a Welsh novelist and short story writer, whose works often explored themes of Welsh culture and identity.
The surname Howells remains prevalent in Wales, England, and among Welsh diaspora communities around the world. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Welsh personal name Hywel, reflecting the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of Wales.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howells
Among Census respondents with the surname Howells, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Howells 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 Howells surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 2,600
- Two or more races3.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 92
- Black or African American1.6% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howells
Howells 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
#10,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,961
+113 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 409 places
2020
#10,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,871
-90 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,363 | 2,848 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,772 | 2,961 | 1.00 | +113 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 409 places |
| 2020 | #10,638 | 2,871 | 0.96 | -90 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 134 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 Howells 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 | #10,772 | #10,638 | 1.2% |
| Count | 2,961 | 2,871 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.96 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howells bearers went from 2,961 to 2,871 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 134 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,772 to #10,638.
FAQ
Howells surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howells?
Name Census estimates that about 3,292 living Americans carry the surname Howells. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,117 residents.
How common is Howells?
Howells ranks #10,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,871 people with the surname Howells. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,292), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Howells.
Has Howells become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howells went from 2,961 recorded bearers to 2,871. That is a decrease of 90 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,772 to #10,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Howells?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howells, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Howells in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (2,600 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howells appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Howells (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 Howells mean?
From the Welsh name Hywel, meaning "eminent" or "prominent," combined with the patronymic suffix -s, indicating "son of Hywel." 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 Howells (0.96 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 Americans have the surname Howells?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.