Explore the Family Name Howden

The meaning of Howden

1. Scottish: habitational name from Howden (Midlothian, Dumfriesshire). 2. Scottish: variant of Haldane. 3. English (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire): habitational name from any of several places called Howden, such as those in East Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland, and Yorkshire. The East Yorkshire placename derives from Old English hēafod ‘head, top, headland’, later replaced by Old Norse hǫfuth ‘head, headland’, + Old English denu ‘valley’. Many of the other placenames derive from Old English hol ‘hole, hollow’ + denu. 4. Americanized form of Norwegian Hovden.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Howden in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Howden has undergone a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 25,524th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had dropped to the 27,081st position. This represents a drop of 6.1%. The count of people with this surname also decreased from 909 in 2000 to 894 in 2010, representing a decrease of 1.65%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Howden per 100,000 residents also saw an 11.76% decline over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#25,524#27,081-6.1%
Count909894-1.65%
Proportion per 100k0.340.3-11.76%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Howden

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Howden has seen some shifts based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, approximately 91.86% of those bearing the name identified as white, dropping slightly to 89.37% by 2010. Those identifying as black remained fairly stable at 5.06% in 2000 and 5.15% in 2010. Although no individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year, there was an increase in those identifying with two or more ethnicities from 1.54% in 2000 to 1.90% in 2010. Notably, there was a significant rise in those identifying as Hispanic, from 0.66% in 2000 to 2.24% in 2010, representing a 239.39% increase.

20002010Change
White91.86%89.37%-2.71%
Black5.06%5.15%1.78%
Hispanic0.66%2.24%239.39%
Two or More Races1.54%1.9%23.38%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%