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

Howley, 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 Howley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Howley in America

Howley is the 11663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Howley surname appeared 2,688 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Howley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Howley 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 Howley

The surname Howley has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hol" meaning a hollow or sunken ground, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived near a hollow or sunken meadow.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Radulfus de Hola in Warwickshire. This entry is thought to be an early spelling variation of Howley.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as Holay, Holley, and Holleye, further indicating its connection to the Old English words for a hollow and a clearing. These spelling variations continued to be used throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period.

One notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Howley, a British politician and judge who lived in the 15th century. He served as a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire and later became a justice of the Common Pleas.

In the 17th century, the name Howley can be found in the records of several English parishes, including those in Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire. This suggests that the name had spread across various regions of England by this time.

Another prominent individual with the surname Howley was William Howley, who lived from 1766 to 1848. He was an English clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1828 until his death.

The name Howley has also been associated with some notable place names in England. For example, the village of Howley in Warwickshire may have derived its name from the surname, although the exact connection is uncertain.

Other individuals of historical significance who bore the surname Howley include Robert Howley (1824-1914), an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club, and Sir Michael Howley (1925-2011), a British diplomat and former ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Throughout its history, the surname Howley has maintained its connection to its Old English roots and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, clergymen, sportsmen, and diplomats.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Howley

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!