2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Howsley
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Howsley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Howsley. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howsley 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 Howsley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Howsley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howsley
The surname Howsley is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name, though its exact origins are not entirely clear. One theory suggests that it may have come from the Old English words "hol" and "leah," meaning "hollow" and "woodland clearing," respectively, indicating that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a wooded hollow or clearing.
Another hypothesis posits that Howsley could be a variation of the surname Holsley, which itself may have derived from the Old English "holes" and "leah," translating to "hollows" and "woodland clearing." This would suggest that the name was given to individuals who resided in an area with multiple hollows or clearings within a forested region.
In the historical records, one of the earliest documented references to the Howsley surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1275, where a certain William de Howsley is mentioned. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 13th century.
One notable figure bearing the Howsley name was Sir John Howsley, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 15th century. He was a landowner and influential figure in the county of Gloucestershire during the reign of King Henry VII.
Another person of note was Robert Howsley, born in 1602 in the village of Westbury-on-Trym, near Bristol. He was a prominent merchant and trader who contributed significantly to the local economy and served as a respected member of the community.
In the 17th century, the Howsley surname appears in the parish records of Warwickshire, with the baptism of Thomas Howsley recorded in 1638 at the Church of St. Mary in the town of Warwick.
The name Howsley can also be found in the historical records of Yorkshire, where a family bearing the surname owned land and property in the village of Howsham, located near the city of York. This may have influenced the spelling variation of "Howsham" for the surname in some branches of the family.
Another individual worth mentioning is Reverend William Howsley, born in 1745 in the town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire. He was a respected clergyman in the Church of England and served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in the village of Stanton Lacy for over four decades.
While these are just a few examples, the Howsley surname has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, with various branches of the family spreading across different regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howsley
Among Census respondents with the surname Howsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Howsley 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 Howsley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino15.1% · 18
- Two or more races5.9% · 7
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howsley
Howsley 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,644 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+17 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 16,644 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 15,644 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 Howsley 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 | #158,432 | #142,788 | 9.9% |
| Count | 102 | 119 | 16.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howsley bearers went from 102 to 119 (+16.7% change). The surname moved up 15,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #142,788.
FAQ
Howsley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howsley?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Howsley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Howsley?
Howsley ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Howsley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Howsley.
Has Howsley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howsley went from 102 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 17 (+16.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Howsley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Howsley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howsley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Hispanic (15.1%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Howsley (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 Howsley mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Howsley. 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 Howsley (0.04 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 last name Howsley?
See how many Americans have the surname Howsley on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.