The Howell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 112,041 people carried this name — #272 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,630 people counted. That is up 2% from 109,634 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Howell surname

A surname transferred from the given name derived from the given name.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Howell» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Hoel’.

An early record he cites: Hyllar Howell, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Howel, Howell, Howels and Howells.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 403 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 8 births for the Howell name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cork.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 4
Leinster 3
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

43 people named Howell live in Switzerland.

They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Geneva 7
Basel-Landschaft 6
Zurich 5
Vaud 4
Solothurn 4
Bern 4
Basel-Stadt 4
Fribourg 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 23 people named Howell.

Most of them — 15 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Somme.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 15
Somme 4
Oise 2
Maine-et-Loire 1
Vendée 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

44 people named Howell is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 44

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Howell was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in South Wales: 66 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 152. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

South Wales 66
Norfolk 22
North Wales 15

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Howell was recorded 20 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1147th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 12. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

314 families named Howell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,728 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 96
North Carolina 78
Virginia 46
Pennsylvania 31
South Carolina 30
Maryland 15
Connecticut 10
Massachusetts 4
Maine 1
New Hampshire 1
Vermont 1
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 246 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Howell in American newspapers,
1870–1923.

Newspaper page from The Ottawa Free Trader carrying the name Howell
The Ottawa Free Trader 1870-07-02
Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Howell
The Sun 1906-01-28
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Howell
Evening Star 1923-07-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Howell in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

99,457 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Howell. The most, 15,145, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 35,806
Victoria 24,349
South Australia 14,371
Queensland 11,196
Tasmania 6,824
Western Australia 6,200
ACT (Canberra) 406
Northern Territory 74

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Howell.

Who carried it

People named Howell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • David Howell
    David Howell 1747–1824 · judge
  • Richard Howell
    Richard Howell 1754–1802 · lawyer
  • Nathaniel W. Howell
    Nathaniel W. Howell 1770–1851 · judge
  • Jeremiah B. Howell
    Jeremiah B. Howell 1771–1822 · lawyer
  • Joshua B. Howell
    Joshua B. Howell 1806–1864 · military officer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 244 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Howell,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States8,708 records

8,708 records of the Howell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 3,828
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 1,443
  • Other U.S. records 3,437
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael Wayne Howell

    Born 1947; from Rodeo, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam. Buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Claude W. Howell

    Born 1918 in Mississippi. Enlisted 1941 at Huntington, West Virginia; auto mechanic from Mercer County, West Virginia. U.S. Army veteran; died 1997, buried at Catlettsburg Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Fred Howell

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Adriatic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 16; clerk. From Sussex, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 8,708 records for Howell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,883 records

2,883 records of the Howell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,234
  • Tasmanian Names Index 739
  • Other Australian records 910
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Howell

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the China, sailing from Woolwich in 1846. Native of St James, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Launceston, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Joseph Howell

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lady Montagu, sailing from Plymouth in 1852. Native of Eldersfield, Worcestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Spring Bay, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ann Howell

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Westmoreland, sailing from Woolwich in 1836. Native of Maidstone, Kent. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 54.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,883 records for Howell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada326 records

326 records of the Howell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 189
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 34
  • Other Canadian records 103
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rob't Howell

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Nestorian, landing at Quebec, bound for Niagara, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lydia Jane Howell

    Buried in 1964 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 82.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary J. Howell

    Buried in 1896 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 41.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 326 records for Howell in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom160 records

160 records of the Howell name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 75
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 45
  • Other British records 40
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Smith Howell

    Will proved in 1930; of Pembs.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Howell

    Buried in 1847 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 51.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Francis Slinger Howell

    Born 1898. Killed or died by 1921. Named in the George Heriot's School roll of honour, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 160 records for Howell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand67 records

67 records of the Howell name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 56
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 5
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Albert Howell

    Died 1954, aged 78; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Amy Hilda Howell

    Born 1900, died 1975; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frederick Howell

    Buried in 1902 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 45.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 67 records for Howell in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands45 records

45 records of the Howell name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 24
  • Dutch population registers 19
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Walter Howell

    Married in 1902 in Rotterdam. Died 1909 in Rotterdam, aged 42.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record James William Arie Howell

    Born 1880 in Groningen. Died 1959 in Ede, aged 79.

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record James William Howell

    Born 1882 in Dordrecht. Married in 1908 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Rivierenland (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 45 records for Howell in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France6 records

6 records of the Howell name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Sophie Lynda Howell

    Born 1968 in the United Kingdom; died 1991 in Mouazé (Ille-et-Vilaine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Howell

    Born 1918 in Chantilly; died 1999 in Creil (Oise).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Howell in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany5 records

5 records of the Howell name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Howell

    From Schöneberg. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 10 October 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 161).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 5 records for Howell in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Howell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Howell is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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