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

Howie, 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 Howie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Howie in America

Howie is the 7153rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Howie surname appeared 4,676 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Howie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Howie 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 Howie

The surname Howie originated in Scotland, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hau," meaning a small hill or hollow, and the Scottish surname "Howe" or "How." The name is believed to have evolved from people living near a small hill or hollow, or from a place name containing the word "howe."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed people who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "William de la Howe de Anant" refers to a person named William from the place called "Howe" in Annandale, Scotland.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Houwy," "Howy," and "Howie," in Scottish records and charters. The earliest known bearer of the name Howie was John Howie, who was granted lands in Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the early 1400s.

Historically, the name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most famous was John Howie (1735-1793), a Scottish biographer and author of "The Scots Worthies," a collection of biographies of Scottish Covenanters and Reformers.

Another notable bearer of the name was Robert Howie (1768-1829), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1819.

In the 19th century, James Howie (1810-1888) was a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow, including the Glasgow City Chambers and the Govan Old Parish Church.

William Howie (1809-1872) was a Scottish-born Australian politician and merchant who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.

John Howie (1916-1994) was a Scottish actor and playwright, best known for his roles in television series such as "Callan" and "The Borderers."

The name Howie has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, including Howietown, a village in Renfrewshire, and Howieshill, a hill near Ayr.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Howie

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

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

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

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