2000
#6,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.91
Rare Last name
Howlett
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "owl wood" or "owl glade."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,815 Americans carry the last name Howlett. That puts it at #6,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howlett 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 Howlett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,943
Census rank
#6,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,071 bearers of the surname Howlett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howlett
The surname Howlett originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words 'hol' meaning hollow or hole, and 'geat' meaning gate or opening, referring to someone who lived near a valley or pass in a hill.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Holegate'. Over time, the name evolved into various forms such as Holet, Hollet, Hollette, and eventually Howlett.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Howlett, who was recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which mentions a Richard Howlett.
In the 15th century, the name was prominent in the county of Essex. John Howlett (1470-1543) was a notable figure from Saffron Walden, Essex, who served as a Member of Parliament and held various positions in the local government.
During the 16th century, the Howlett family had established themselves in the county of Suffolk. Sir William Howlett (1511-1592) was a wealthy landowner and high sheriff of Suffolk in 1584.
The name continued to be prevalent in various regions of England throughout the centuries. Notable bearers include Sir Thomas Howlett (1776-1853), an English naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and Henry Howlett (1830-1908), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London.
Other individuals of historical significance with the surname Howlett include Robert Howlett (1831-1858), an influential English photographer known for his pioneering work in the wetplate collodion process, and Alfred Hume Howlett (1829-1908), a British civil servant who served as the Colonial Secretary of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the late 19th century.
While the name has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly due to migration and colonization. However, the majority of historical records and prominent individuals bearing the surname Howlett can be traced back to its English origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howlett
Among Census respondents with the surname Howlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Howlett 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 Howlett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 4,117
- Black or African American10.7% · 544
- Two or more races4.1% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howlett
Howlett 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
#6,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,364
+225 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#6,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,071
-293 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,138 | 5,139 | 1.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,355 | 5,364 | 1.82 | +225 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #6,449 | 5,071 | 1.70 | -293 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 94 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 Howlett 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 | #6,355 | #6,449 | -1.5% |
| Count | 5,364 | 5,071 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.70 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howlett bearers went from 5,364 to 5,071 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,355 to #6,449.
FAQ
Howlett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howlett?
Name Census estimates that about 5,815 living Americans carry the surname Howlett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,943 residents.
How common is Howlett?
Howlett ranks #6,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,071 people with the surname Howlett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Howlett.
Has Howlett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howlett went from 5,364 recorded bearers to 5,071. That is a decrease of 293 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,355 to #6,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Howlett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howlett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) 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 Howlett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (4,117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howlett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Black (10.7%), 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 Howlett (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 Howlett mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "owl wood" or "owl glade." 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 Howlett (1.70 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 are called Howlett?
See how many people have the surname Howlett on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.