NameCensus.

UK surname

Howe

From a place name derived from Old English "hōh," meaning a hill-spur or a projecting ridge of land.

In the 1881 census there were 11,751 people recorded with the Howe surname, ranking it #364 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 17,676, ranked #347, up from #364 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include High Peak, County Durham and East Cambridgeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Howe is 18,388 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.4%.

1881 census count

11,751

Ranked #364

Modern count

17,676

2016, ranked #347

Peak year

1999

18,388 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Howe had 11,751 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #364 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 17,676 in 2016, ranked #347.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 16,132 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Howe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Howe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Howe 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 6,402 #429
1861 historical 6,682 #416
1881 historical 11,751 #364
1891 historical 12,469 #355
1901 historical 15,068 #348
1911 historical 16,132 #301
1997 modern 17,546 #337
1998 modern 18,315 #332
1999 modern 18,388 #333
2000 modern 18,069 #337
2001 modern 17,615 #339
2002 modern 17,997 #339
2003 modern 17,474 #341
2004 modern 17,518 #340
2005 modern 17,021 #345
2006 modern 16,962 #345
2007 modern 17,137 #345
2008 modern 17,233 #345
2009 modern 17,668 #346
2010 modern 18,110 #344
2011 modern 17,801 #344
2012 modern 17,494 #343
2013 modern 17,943 #341
2014 modern 18,036 #342
2015 modern 17,807 #341
2016 modern 17,676 #347

Geography

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Where Howes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Gateshead and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to High Peak, County Durham and East Cambridgeshire. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 High Peak 013 High Peak
2 County Durham 057 County Durham
3 County Durham 064 County Durham
4 High Peak 010 High Peak
5 East Cambridgeshire 006 East Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Howe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Howe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Howe, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Howe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Howe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Howe is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Howe is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Howe 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 Howe is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Howe

The surname Howe originated in England, likely in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hoh," meaning a heel or ridge of land. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived on or near a ridge.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Howe are found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were records of landholders in England. These include entries for William de la Howe in Oxfordshire and Robert de la Howe in Cambridgeshire.

The name Howe is also found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, it is listed as a place name, such as Howe in Norfolk and Howe in Derbyshire, rather than a surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Howe was John Howe, who was born around 1370 in Lancashire, England. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire in 1396.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Howe, who lived from 1486 to 1547. He was a courtier and diplomat during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, and served as Treasurer of the Household.

In the 17th century, John Howe (1630-1705) was a prominent English Puritan theologian and pastor. He was a leading figure in the non-conformist movement and wrote several influential works on theology and religious liberty.

Sir William Howe (1729-1814) was a British Army officer who served as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces during the American Revolutionary War. He led the British troops in several major battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill and the capture of Philadelphia.

Another famous bearer of the name was the English novelist and poet William Howe (1797-1864), who wrote several popular works of fiction and poetry in the early 19th century, including "The Deserted Village" and "The Shepherd's Calendar."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Howe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Howe 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. Middlesex leads with 1,417 Howes recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.24x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,417 1.24x
Yorkshire 1,218 1.07x
Durham 931 2.73x
Lancashire 807 0.59x
Surrey 629 1.13x
Somerset 508 2.75x
Suffolk 507 3.63x
Essex 453 2.00x
Kent 408 1.04x
Devon 388 1.62x
Derbyshire 340 1.89x
Cambridgeshire 294 4.05x
Cumberland 282 2.86x
Staffordshire 280 0.72x
Warwickshire 249 0.86x
Northamptonshire 242 2.24x
Gloucestershire 230 1.02x
Northumberland 228 1.34x
Norfolk 220 1.25x
Glamorgan 210 1.05x
Cheshire 205 0.81x
Hertfordshire 166 2.10x
Hampshire 149 0.63x
Bedfordshire 134 2.26x
Dorset 122 1.62x
Leicestershire 116 0.91x
Buckinghamshire 109 1.57x
Lanarkshire 96 0.26x
Angus 71 0.67x
Sussex 67 0.35x
Oxfordshire 65 0.92x
Nottinghamshire 62 0.40x
Monmouthshire 55 0.66x
Worcestershire 54 0.36x
Lincolnshire 50 0.27x
Westmorland 50 1.98x
Renfrewshire 40 0.45x
Berkshire 39 0.45x
Perthshire 39 0.76x
Huntingdonshire 35 1.54x
Cornwall 31 0.24x
Midlothian 29 0.19x
Ayrshire 19 0.22x
Dunbartonshire 14 0.45x
Shropshire 14 0.14x
Aberdeenshire 13 0.12x
Royal Navy 13 0.95x
Wiltshire 11 0.11x
Flintshire 9 0.29x
Herefordshire 7 0.15x
Isle of Man 7 0.33x
East Lothian 5 0.33x
Fife 5 0.07x
Argyllshire 4 0.13x
Anglesey 2 0.10x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.04x
Denbighshire 2 0.05x
Stirlingshire 2 0.05x
Berwickshire 1 0.07x
Brecknockshire 1 0.04x
Channel Islands 1 0.03x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.04x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Pancras London in Middlesex leads with 144 Howes recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.56x.

Place Total Index
St Pancras London 144 1.56x
Islington London 134 1.21x
Lambeth 123 1.23x
West Ham 112 2.24x
Nether Hallam 102 6.63x
Sheffield 102 2.82x
St Marylebone London 86 1.40x
Southwark St George Martyr 83 3.60x
Ecclesall Bierlow 79 3.42x
Hackney London 78 1.21x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 77 3.63x
Shoreditch London 77 1.55x
Camberwell 75 1.02x
Kensington London 75 1.18x
Elland Cum Greetland 67 13.08x
Gateshead 65 2.54x
Bedminster 62 3.57x
Lavenham 62 84.84x
Stoke Upon Trent 56 1.36x
Bethnal Green London 53 1.06x
Bishop Auckland 52 11.36x
Aston 51 0.64x
Birmingham 51 0.53x
Caldewgate 51 9.42x
Evenwood Barony 51 43.95x
Battersea 50 1.18x
Newington 49 1.16x
Bishopwearmouth 48 1.64x
Mile End Old Town London 48 1.97x
Bermondsey 46 1.35x
Middlesbrough 45 3.04x
Wellingborough 45 8.29x
Salford 44 1.10x
Greenwich 43 2.35x
Leeds 43 0.67x
Leicester St Margaret 43 1.39x
Manchester 43 0.70x
Westminster St John 42 3.01x
Cheetham 41 4.04x
Deptford St Paul 41 1.36x
St George Hanover Square 41 2.03x
Bridgewater 40 7.98x
Tideswell 40 51.31x
Bromley London 39 1.55x
Westgate 39 3.69x
Bredbury 37 25.25x
Portsea 37 0.80x
Chelsea London 36 1.04x
Exton 36 226.42x
Lewisham 36 1.72x
Sawbridgeworth 36 30.07x
Ashton Under Lyne 35 1.18x
Paddington London 35 0.83x
Hammersmith London 34 1.20x
Hulme 34 1.20x
Tormoham 33 3.27x
Westoe 33 1.71x
Wood Ditton 32 52.67x
Balsham 31 78.01x
Checkley 31 30.82x
Great Lumley 31 53.05x
Brightside Bierlow 30 1.35x
Christchurch 30 5.88x
Denton 30 9.95x
Newbottle 30 16.10x
Oundle 30 24.87x
Penrith 30 8.22x
Blatchinworth 29 9.36x
Darlington 29 2.20x
Fulham London 29 1.74x
Golcar 29 9.65x
Govan 29 0.32x
Long Melford 29 22.33x
Tottenham 29 1.59x
Wolverhampton 29 0.97x
Thorpe Morieux 28 171.36x
Clerkenwell London 27 1.00x
Coventry St Michael 27 2.91x
East Stonehouse 27 5.74x
Hornsey 26 1.79x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 801
Elizabeth 466
Sarah 389
Jane 248
Ann 204
Emma 184
Annie 179
Ellen 157
Eliza 150
Alice 139
Emily 128
Margaret 125
Hannah 118
Martha 109
Harriet 85
Caroline 81
Charlotte 79
Louisa 79
Florence 68
Maria 66
Susan 65
Ada 62
Fanny 60
Catherine 57
Edith 56
Isabella 56
Lucy 48
Clara 47
Anne 42
Frances 42
Kate 41
Rose 40
Amelia 33
Minnie 32
Esther 31
Matilda 31
Agnes 30
Jessie 30
Lydia 29
Harriett 28
Rebecca 27
Ruth 24
Elizth. 23
Laura 23
Sophia 22
Grace 21
Eleanor 20
Rachel 20
Gertrude 18
Susannah 18

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 729
John 699
George 457
Thomas 375
James 292
Henry 231
Robert 222
Joseph 210
Charles 192
Frederick 120
Alfred 111
Arthur 107
Edward 97
Walter 87
Richard 86
Harry 85
Samuel 84
Albert 73
Frank 51
Herbert 49
Wm. 45
Benjamin 42
David 40
Ernest 39
Francis 35
Thos. 34
Edwin 27
Fred 27
Michael 17
Ralph 17
Sidney 17
Geo. 15
Jonathan 15
Isaac 14
Tom 14
Abraham 13
Daniel 13
Percy 13
Jesse 12
Matthew 12
Robt. 12
Lewis 11
Peter 11
Stephen 11
Sydney 11
Alexander 10
Chas. 10
Edgar 9
Edmund 9
Horace 9

FAQ

Howe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Howe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 11,751 people were recorded with the Howe surname. That placed it at #364 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Howe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 17,676 in 2016. That gives Howe a modern rank of #347.

What does the Howe surname mean?

From a place name derived from Old English "hōh," meaning a hill-spur or a projecting ridge of land.

What does the Howe map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Howe 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.