2000
#11,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Howley
Derived from a place name meaning "Hugh's clearing" in Old English, or from the Irish surname Ó hEochaidh, meaning "descendant of Eochaidh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,941 Americans carry the last name Howley. That puts it at #11,689 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howley 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 Howley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,543
Census rank
#11,689
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,565 bearers of the surname Howley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11689th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howley
Among Census respondents with the surname Howley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Howley 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 Howley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,359
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 108
- Two or more races2.3% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howley
Howley 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
#11,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,688
+87 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 479 places
2020
#11,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,565
-123 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,184 | 2,601 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,663 | 2,688 | 0.91 | +87 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 479 places |
| 2020 | #11,689 | 2,565 | 0.86 | -123 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 26 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 Howley 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 | #11,663 | #11,689 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,688 | 2,565 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.86 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howley bearers went from 2,688 to 2,565 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,663 to #11,689.
FAQ
Howley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,941 living Americans carry the surname Howley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,543 residents.
How common is Howley?
Howley ranks #11,689 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,565 people with the surname Howley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,941), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Howley.
Has Howley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howley went from 2,688 recorded bearers to 2,565. That is a decrease of 123 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,663 to #11,689.
What does the Census say about the background of Howley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Howley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,359 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Howley (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 Howley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Hugh's clearing" in Old English, or from the Irish surname Ó hEochaidh, meaning "descendant of Eochaidh." 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 Howley (0.86 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 Howley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.