2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Howiler
A possible corruption of the German surname Heuelr, meaning someone from Heuel or employed as a hay dealer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 153 Americans carry the last name Howiler. That puts it at #132,523 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,240,224 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howiler 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.
Bearers in the US
153
1 in 2,240,224
Census rank
#132,523
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
133
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 133 bearers of the surname Howiler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 132523rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howiler
The surname "HOWILER" is believed to have originated in the region of present-day Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "howler," which referred to a person who carved or crafted wooden howls or basins used for serving food and drink.
The name first appeared in written records in the Duchy of Bavaria, where a certain Heinricus Howiler was listed as a resident of the town of Augsburg in a census conducted in 1184. This early spelling suggests that the name may have initially been pronounced with a guttural "ch" sound at the beginning, which later evolved into the modern "H" sound.
In the 13th century, the Howiler family seemed to have spread to other parts of what is now southern Germany, with records showing a Rudolfus Howiler residing in the town of Regensburg in 1237. This particular individual was noted as a skilled woodcarver, lending credence to the theory that the name was originally an occupational surname.
The Howiler name also appears in several medieval German manuscripts and chronicles, including the Annals of Würzburg, where a Konrad Howiler is mentioned as a participant in a local uprising against the ruling prince-bishop in 1288.
One of the earliest known examples of the name in its modern spelling can be found in a land deed from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1367, which refers to a certain Hans Howiler as the owner of a parcel of farmland.
Over the centuries, the Howiler surname has been borne by various notable figures, including:
1. Johannes Howiler (1492-1567), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who was a close associate of Martin Luther.
2. Christoph Howiler (1554-1624), a renowned German engraver and printmaker known for his intricate woodcut illustrations.
3. Anna Howiler (1603-1678), a German midwife and herbalist who wrote one of the earliest known medical texts on women's health.
4. Wilhelm Howiler (1724-1801), a Prussian military officer who served in the Seven Years' War and later became a lieutenant general in the Prussian army.
5. Franz Howiler (1879-1944), an Austrian-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City in the early 20th century.
While the Howiler surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history rooted in the craftsmen and artisans of medieval Germany, with its origins dating back to the ancient occupation of woodcarving and bowl-making.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howiler
Among Census respondents with the surname Howiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Howiler 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 Howiler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 132
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howiler
Howiler 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-6 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 12,005 places
2020
#132,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -6 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 12,005 places |
| 2020 | #132,523 | 133 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 5,029 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 Howiler 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 | #127,494 | #132,523 | -3.9% |
| Count | 134 | 133 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howiler bearers went from 134 to 133 (-0.7% change). The surname moved down 5,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #132,523.
FAQ
Howiler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howiler?
Name Census estimates that about 153 living Americans carry the surname Howiler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,240,224 residents.
How common is Howiler?
Howiler ranks #132,523 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 133 people with the surname Howiler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (153), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Howiler.
Has Howiler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howiler went from 134 recorded bearers to 133. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #132,523.
What does the Census say about the background of Howiler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Howiler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howiler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Howiler (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 Howiler mean?
A possible corruption of the German surname Heuelr, meaning someone from Heuel or employed as a hay dealer. 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 Howiler (0.04 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 Howiler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.