Origins of the Howe surname

What does the name Howe mean?

Howe is an English and Scottish surname with a number of supposed origins, most often found in Orkney and the North of England. One hypothesised origin of the Howe surname is geographic, from the Old English 'hol', meaning 'hollow' or 'dell'. Another has similar roots, but comes from the Old Norse 'haugr', meaning mound, knoll or hill.

Alternative variations of the name Howe

Howe, Howes, Hows, Howze, House, Howse, How

Start free trial
“
I’ve managed to trace back to the mid-1500s! I can’t believe it! Utterly engrossing and I have uncovered some quite moving and heartbreaking stories attached to various ancestors. You don’t need any qualifications to start - just time patience, and some information.
SS
Stuart
Trustpilot logoTrustpilot 5 stars
1 of 3

Start your family tree

Trace your family back in time. Make new discoveries and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Howes.

Sign up to get started

Delve deeper into the Howe family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 1696North West 300Isle of Man 4Yorkshire 1364East Midlands 420West Midlands 405East 984London 2568South East 1213South West 544South Wales 109Mid Wales 22West Wales 1North Wales 23Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Howes lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

24,000 Howe Travel & migration records
120,000 Howes found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Howe

How common is your surname?

346th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Howe surname. The oldest one dates back to 1539.

Who were Howes most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Howes.

What are the most common Howe first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Howe family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Howes

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Howes in 1921

Dressmaker

547

Laundress

308

General Servant Domestic

301

Domestic Servant

268

House Servant

211

Common male occupations for Howes in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

580

Coal Miner

466

General Labourer

441

Farm Labourer

345

Carpenter

267

We found over 350,000 family trees with the Howe surname

Trace your family back in time and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Howes.

Search for a relative in our family trees

Learn more about the lives of Howe family members

How rare is your surname?

Have you ever wondered if your family na...

The rise and fall of these disappearing British surnames

Could your surname be on the brink of di...

English surnames explained: The seven types of last names you should know

Ever wondered where our last names come...

How to find the maiden names of women in your family tree

Try these simple tricks to pinpoint your...

4 simple steps to starting your family history journey

Starting your family history journey is...

Share your discoveries

Share to WhatsApp

Share to Facebook

Look for a different surname

Paper tear line

Find out more about your family in our records

    or try an advanced search