2000
#6,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,510
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Howie
Derived from the Scottish nickname for someone with fair or pale hair or complexion, from Scots Gaelic "buidhe" meaning "yellow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,421 Americans carry the last name Howie. That puts it at #8,230 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,529 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howie 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 Howie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,529
Census rank
#8,230
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,855 bearers of the surname Howie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8230th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howie
Among Census respondents with the surname Howie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Howie 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 Howie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 2,854
- Black or African American17.4% · 672
- Two or more races4.1% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howie
Howie 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
#7,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,676
+166 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#8,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,855
-821 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 1,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,871 | 4,510 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,153 | 4,676 | 1.59 | +166 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #8,230 | 3,855 | 1.29 | -821 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 1,077 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 Howie 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 | #7,153 | #8,230 | -15.1% |
| Count | 4,676 | 3,855 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.59 | 1.29 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howie bearers went from 4,676 to 3,855 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 1,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,153 to #8,230.
FAQ
Howie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howie?
Name Census estimates that about 4,421 living Americans carry the surname Howie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,529 residents.
How common is Howie?
Howie ranks #8,230 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,855 people with the surname Howie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Howie.
Has Howie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howie went from 4,676 recorded bearers to 3,855. That is a decrease of 821 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,153 to #8,230.
What does the Census say about the background of Howie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howie, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) 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 Howie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (2,854 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Black (17.4%), 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 Howie (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 Howie mean?
Derived from the Scottish nickname for someone with fair or pale hair or complexion, from Scots Gaelic "buidhe" meaning "yellow." 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 Howie (1.29 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 surname Howie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.