NameCensus.

UK surname

Howatson

In the 1881 census there were 230 people recorded with the Howatson surname, ranking it #11,748 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 487, ranked #10,172, up from #11,748 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Old Cumnock, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Conwy, Denbighshire and Annandale East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Howatson is 490 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 111.7%.

1881 census count

230

Ranked #11,748

Modern count

487

2016, ranked #10,172

Peak year

2010

490 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Howatson had 230 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,748 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 487 in 2016, ranked #10,172.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 318 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Howatson surname distribution map

The map shows where the Howatson surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Howatson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Howatson over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 173 #11,629
1861 historical 219 #11,124
1881 historical 230 #11,748
1891 historical 278 #11,746
1901 historical 318 #11,187
1911 historical 86 #24,243
1997 modern 419 #10,625
1998 modern 437 #10,637
1999 modern 443 #10,577
2000 modern 448 #10,477
2001 modern 439 #10,447
2002 modern 466 #10,151
2003 modern 446 #10,361
2004 modern 455 #10,208
2005 modern 436 #10,457
2006 modern 443 #10,369
2007 modern 452 #10,298
2008 modern 462 #10,223
2009 modern 483 #10,114
2010 modern 490 #10,211
2011 modern 478 #10,299
2012 modern 472 #10,295
2013 modern 488 #10,211
2014 modern 488 #10,271
2015 modern 489 #10,168
2016 modern 487 #10,172

Geography

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Where Howatsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Old Cumnock, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dalrymple and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Conwy, Denbighshire, Annandale East and Newton Stewart. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Old Cumnock Ayr
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dalrymple Ayr
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Conwy 014 Conwy
2 Denbighshire 012 Denbighshire
3 Annandale East Dumfries and Galloway
4 Denbighshire 014 Denbighshire
5 Newton Stewart Dumfries and Galloway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Howatson

These lists show first names that appear often with the Howatson surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Howatson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Howatson, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Howatson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Howatson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Howatson is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Howatson is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Howatson falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Howatson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Howatson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Howatson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Howatson surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Ayrshire leads with 95 Howatsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 56.58x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 95 56.58x
Lanarkshire 55 7.58x
Dumfriesshire 34 68.60x
Wigtownshire 12 40.28x
Denbighshire 9 10.62x
Middlesex 8 0.36x
Cumberland 5 2.59x
Devon 4 0.86x
Midlothian 4 1.33x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 9.24x
Renfrewshire 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Maybole in Ayrshire leads with 16 Howatsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 313.11x.

Place Total Index
Maybole 16 313.11x
Govan 15 8.36x
Barony 14 7.62x
Middlebie 14 939.60x
Beith 9 179.64x
Glasgow 9 6.99x
Llansannan 9 1058.82x
Stewarton 9 271.08x
Carnwath 8 178.17x
Dalrymple 8 761.90x
St Andrew Holborn London 8 82.39x
Loudoun 7 173.27x
Muirkirk 7 177.67x
New Luce 7 1272.73x
Tinwald 7 1060.61x
Carluke 6 91.05x
Coylton 6 252.10x
Langholm 6 168.54x
Ochiltree 6 517.24x
Ayr 5 63.13x
Brigham 5 549.45x
Kirkmaiden 5 264.55x
Old Cumnock 5 133.69x
Auckinleck 4 76.92x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 3.31x
Kilwinning 4 73.80x
Tormoham 4 20.24x
Annan 2 46.95x
Dalmellington 2 40.49x
Kirkcudbright 2 74.35x
New Cumnock 2 68.73x
Tundergarth 2 555.56x
Ballantrae 1 90.09x
Carlaverock 1 123.46x
Cathcart 1 10.63x
Douglas 1 47.85x
Galston 1 21.79x
Kirkmichael 1 65.36x
Kirkpatrick Fleming 1 88.50x
Lesmahagow 1 13.04x
Maryhill 1 7.04x
St Quivox 1 17.61x
Tarbolton 1 36.23x
Troqueer 1 23.47x
Westerkirk 1 270.27x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Howatson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Lydia 2
Betsy 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizth. 1
Georgina 1
Iseblla 1
Mary 1
Maud 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Howatson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
George 3
James 2
Samuel 2
Thos. 2
William 2
Alexander 1
Ernest 1
John 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1

FAQ

Howatson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Howatson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 230 people were recorded with the Howatson surname. That placed it at #11,748 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Howatson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 487 in 2016. That gives Howatson a modern rank of #10,172.

What does the Howatson map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Howatson bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.