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

Howland, 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 Howland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Howland in America

Howland is the 4092nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Howland surname appeared 8,675 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Howland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Howland 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 Howland

The surname HOWLAND is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hoh" meaning "heel" or "ridge," and "land" meaning "land." It likely originated as a topographic name, describing someone who lived on a ridge or heel-shaped hill.

The name is believed to have first appeared in the county of Lancashire, England, in the 13th century. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include Roger de Holand, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1212, and William de Holand, recorded in the same county in 1246.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a landholding in Lincolnshire is listed as "Holand," which may be an early spelling variation of the surname. The HOWLAND name is also found in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Hoghland."

One notable bearer of the HOWLAND name was John Howland, an English Separatist who traveled to America aboard the Mayflower in 1620. He is considered one of the founding settlers of Plymouth Colony and has numerous descendants in the United States.

Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Howland (c. 1537-1619), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1600-1601. He was also a member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers and a benefactor of Christ's Hospital.

In the literary world, William Dean Howells (1837-1920), an American novelist and literary critic, is a distinguished bearer of the HOWLAND name. He was known for his novels, such as "The Rise of Silas Lapham" and "A Modern Instance," and his advocacy for realism in literature.

Another notable individual was Sir Samuel Howland (1765-1838), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1815 for his service.

The HOWLAND name also has connections to the Netherlands, where it may have originated as a variant of the Dutch surname "Hollander." One example is John Howland (1540-1619), a Dutch explorer and navigator who is credited with being the first European to set foot on the island of Manhattan in 1609.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Howland

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

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

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

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