2000
#12,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,285
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Howington
Derived from a place name meaning "the town of Hoga's people" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,430 Americans carry the last name Howington. That puts it at #13,691 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howington 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
2.4K
1 in 141,051
Census rank
#13,691
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,119 bearers of the surname Howington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13691st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howington, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howington
The surname Howington is of English origin, believed to have derived from the Old English words "hoh" meaning "heel" or "ridge," and "tun" meaning "farm" or "settlement." It likely originated as a locational name for someone who lived near a ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Hohtun" in Warwickshire. This suggests that the surname was established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Hoghton" and "Hogheton" in various parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire. These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and the evolution of the English language over time.
The Howington family has a long history in Staffordshire, where they were landowners and prominent members of the community. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Howington (1524-1596), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
Another significant individual was Robert Howington (1588-1648), a Puritan clergyman and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was born in Boxted, Essex, and emigrated to America in 1635, settling in Salisbury, Massachusetts.
During the English Civil War, Captain William Howington (1620-1677) fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He later served as a member of the Long Parliament and was appointed governor of Stafford.
In the 18th century, John Howington (1735-1810) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Howington Hall and the Church of St. James.
In the 19th century, Elizabeth Howington (1823-1891) was a prominent advocate for women's rights and education. She founded the Howington School for Girls in Birmingham, which was one of the first educational institutions in England to provide higher education for women.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howington
Among Census respondents with the surname Howington, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Howington 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 Howington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 1,767
- Black or African American8.6% · 182
- Two or more races3.7% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howington
Howington 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
#13,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,303
+18 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 797 places
2020
#13,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,119
-184 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,458 | 2,285 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,255 | 2,303 | 0.78 | +18 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 797 places |
| 2020 | #13,691 | 2,119 | 0.71 | -184 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 436 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 Howington 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 | #13,255 | #13,691 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,303 | 2,119 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.71 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howington bearers went from 2,303 to 2,119 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 436 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,255 to #13,691.
FAQ
Howington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howington?
Name Census estimates that about 2,430 living Americans carry the surname Howington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,051 residents.
How common is Howington?
Howington ranks #13,691 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,119 people with the surname Howington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Howington.
Has Howington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howington went from 2,303 recorded bearers to 2,119. That is a decrease of 184 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,255 to #13,691.
What does the Census say about the background of Howington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howington, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Howington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (1,767 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Black (8.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Howington (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 Howington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the town of Hoga's people" in Old English. 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 Howington (0.71 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 common is the surname Howington?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Howington on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.