2000
#9,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,075
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Howze
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a hill or steep bank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,699 Americans carry the last name Howze. That puts it at #9,626 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Howze 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.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,661
Census rank
#9,626
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,226 bearers of the surname Howze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9626th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Howze, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.4%. The next largest groups are White (26.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Howze
The surname HOWZE is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hoh," meaning a heel or ridge of land. It is believed to have originated in the 11th century in the regions of Cheshire and Lancashire.
The name is thought to have been initially a topographic surname, given to someone who lived near a heel-shaped piece of land or a ridge. Over time, it evolved into a locational surname, referring to places like Hough or Howe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Houe." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Howe" in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire, indicating its presence in that region. The varied spellings of the name throughout history include Howes, Houze, and Howze.
Notable individuals with the surname HOWZE include:
1. John Howze (1548-1612), an English merchant and member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers in York.
2. Robert Howze (1630-1692), an English clergyman and author of religious works.
3. Thomas Howze (1774-1836), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Mary Ann Howze (1810-1888), an American educator and advocate for women's rights in Alabama.
5. Robert Lee Howze (1864-1926), a Confederate veteran and influential figure in the development of Howze Beach, Texas.
The HOWZE surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Howe Green in Essex, England, and Hough in Cheshire, reflecting its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Howze
Among Census respondents with the surname Howze, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.4%. The next largest groups are White (26.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Howze 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 Howze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.4% · 2,046
- White26.7% · 861
- Two or more races5.7% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Howze
Howze 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
#9,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,263
+188 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 214 places
2020
#9,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,226
-37 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 281 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,693 | 3,075 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,907 | 3,263 | 1.11 | +188 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 214 places |
| 2020 | #9,626 | 3,226 | 1.08 | -37 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 281 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 Howze 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 | #9,907 | #9,626 | 2.8% |
| Count | 3,263 | 3,226 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.08 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Howze bearers went from 3,263 to 3,226 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 281 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,907 to #9,626.
FAQ
Howze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Howze?
Name Census estimates that about 3,699 living Americans carry the surname Howze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,661 residents.
How common is Howze?
Howze ranks #9,626 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,226 people with the surname Howze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,699), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Howze.
Has Howze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Howze went from 3,263 recorded bearers to 3,226. That is a decrease of 37 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,907 to #9,626.
What does the Census say about the background of Howze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Howze, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.4%. The next largest groups are White (26.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Howze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (2,046 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Howze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.4%), White (26.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Howze (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 Howze mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a hill or steep bank. 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 Howze (1.08 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 common is the surname Howze?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Howze? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.