HOWES
Howes is a surname of English origin that possesses both patronymic and topographical roots, reflecting its early medieval naming practices on the British Isles. Its source can be traced to the Old Germanic personal name Hugo, from which the Norman name Hugh derived. The surname evolved as a patronymic identifier, meaning that it initially served to denote the descendants of an individual named Hugh.
The surname “Howes” has undergone numerous orthographic variations over the centuries, including Hows, Howse, Howson, Howey, Howis, Howison, as well as a wide range of spellings such as How, Howe, Hoe, Hoo, Heugh, Hough, Hoof, Houf, Houff, Huff, Hughff. These spellings illustrate the fluid nature of medieval record‑keeping and the influence of regional dialects on personal names.
In addition to its patronymic origin, Howes is also a topographical surname derived from the Old Norse word haugr, meaning a hill or mound, and from the Old English term hoh, indicating a hill‑spur or ridge. The name is therefore associated with individuals who lived near such geographic features or with those hailing from settlements named with the base word, such as Howe in Norfolk or North Yorkshire, and possibly a Howe in Leicestershire linked to the Old Norse hólar meaning hollows.
The earliest extant record of the surname dates to 1211, in the Curia Rolls of Leicestershire, where Marjoria de Howes is documented. Subsequent medieval references include William Howe of Warwickshire in 1221, William de Ho in the pipe rolls of Leicester in 1199, and William ate Howes in the Cambridgeshire Subsidy Rolls of 1327. These entries confirm the surname’s presence across various English counties from the early fifteenth century onward.
In modern times, the surname remains most common in England, particularly in Norfolk, and it is also represented in the United States and Canada. Genealogical estimates suggest that between 10,000 and 15,000 individuals in England and Wales bear the surname, with a comparable number in the United States. Variants such as Howe, Ho, Hough, Haugh, and, in some exceptional cases, Hughes may share a common etymology with Howes, although these similarities sometimes arise from unrelated linguistic developments. The diversity of spellings reflects both historical linguistic evolution and regional pronunciation differences.
Typical given names associated with the Howes surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jean
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Howes in...
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Howes are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Gluten‑free Garibaldi.
There are approximately 10,818 people named Howes in the UK. That makes it the 855th most common surname in Britain. Around 166 in a million people in Britain are named Howes.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Howes
- Sally Ann Howes - Actor and singer
- Bobby Howes - Actor (1895 to 1972)
- Buster Howes - Royal Marines general
- Christian Howes - TV host
- Frank Howes - Music critic (1891 to 1974)
- George Howes - Football player (1906 to 1993)
- Alex Howes - Football player
- Arthur Howes - Documentary film maker and academic (1950 to 2004)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.