Howley Family History

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Howley Name Meaning

English (chiefly Yorkshire): habitational name from any of various places so called, for example in Cheshire, Gloucestershire, and West Yorkshire. The first is from a lost place in Lower Bebington, named from Old English hol ‘hollow’ + weg ‘way’; the second is from Old English hol + leah ‘woodland clearing’; and the last, Howley Hall in Moreley, is from Old English hofe ‘ground ivy’ + leah. Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hUallaigh ‘descendant of Uallach’, a personal name or byname from uallach ‘proud’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Cowley, Hawley, Bowley, Hooley, Rowley, Hanley, Coley, Hockley

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Howley Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Howley name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Howley. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • Ireland & Scotland

    51%

  • England & Wales

    30%

  • Germanic Europe

    4%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

  • France

    3%

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Howley Family Origin

Where is the Howley family from?

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You can see how Howley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Howley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Howley families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1911 there were 61 Howley families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 41% of all the recorded Howley's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Howley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Howley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Howley

Howley Family Occupations

What did your Howley ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, Farmer, Labourer and Shoemaker were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Howley. The most common Howley occupation in Canada was Farmer. 13% of Howley's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Howley family was Fisherman.

View Census data for Howley | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    13%

  • Labourer

    8%

  • Shoemaker

    8%

  • Fisherman

    5%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Howley ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Howley Historical Records

What Howley family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 33,000 census records available for the last name Howley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Howley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Howley

Passenger List

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Howley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Howley. For the veterans among your Howley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Howley military records

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Howley Life Expectancy

What is the average Howley lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Howley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 1962. The average life expectancy for Howley in 1943 was 44, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Howley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Howley ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Howley Family Ancestors

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