2000
#14,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Howse
An occupational surname denoting someone who lived or worked in a house or building, as opposed to a cottage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,374 Americans carry the last name Howse. That puts it at #13,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,378 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howse 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 Howse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,378
Census rank
#13,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,070 bearers of the surname Howse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howse, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howse
The surname Howse originated in England, likely in the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hus," meaning "house" or "dwelling." This name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who lived in a prominent or distinctive house.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Howse can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex from 1195, which mention a "Richard de la Howse." The Pipe Rolls were a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, suggesting that the Howse name had already become established in medieval England by the late 12th century.
The Howse name also appears in various medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which list a "William atte Howse." The use of the preposition "atte" in this entry indicates that the name likely referred to a specific house or dwelling at that time.
In the 15th century, the Howse surname can be found in the records of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York, which mention a "John Howse" in 1436. This suggests that the name was present in Yorkshire and other northern regions of England during this period.
One notable individual with the Howse surname was Sir John Howse (1480-1547), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as Sheriff of Lincolnshire and held various other positions in local government.
Another prominent figure was Sir Randolph Howse (1644-1711), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1705. He was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and played a significant role in the governance of the City of London.
In the 18th century, the Howse name was associated with the English botanist and explorer Joseph Whidbey (1757-1833), who participated in several voyages of exploration to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He named several geographical features, including Whidbey Island in present-day Washington state, after his friend, Joseph Howse.
The Reverend John Howse (1777-1858) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and religious subjects. He served as the rector of Merton College, Oxford, and was also a canon of Christ Church Cathedral.
In the 19th century, Sir John Howse (1813-1899) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal College of Music in London and the Town Hall in Eastbourne.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howse
Among Census respondents with the surname Howse, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Howse 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 Howse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.6% · 1,150
- Black or African American35.8% · 741
- Two or more races4.7% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howse
Howse 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
#14,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,077
+140 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#13,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,070
-7 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,212 | 1,937 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,392 | 2,077 | 0.70 | +140 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #13,950 | 2,070 | 0.69 | -7 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 442 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 Howse 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 | #14,392 | #13,950 | 3.1% |
| Count | 2,077 | 2,070 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.69 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howse bearers went from 2,077 to 2,070 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 442 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,392 to #13,950.
FAQ
Howse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howse?
Name Census estimates that about 2,374 living Americans carry the surname Howse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,378 residents.
How common is Howse?
Howse ranks #13,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,070 people with the surname Howse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Howse.
Has Howse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howse went from 2,077 recorded bearers to 2,070. That is a decrease of 7 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,392 to #13,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Howse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howse, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Howse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.6% (1,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.6%), Black (35.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Howse (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 Howse mean?
An occupational surname denoting someone who lived or worked in a house or building, as opposed to a cottage. 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 Howse (0.69 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 Howse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.