Show ContentsHowarth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient history of the Howarth name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in or near the settlement of Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Hayward's Heath in Sussex is another possible origin of the name. The surname Howarth belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Howarth family

The surname Howarth was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Haworth, a chapelry, in the parish of Bradford, union of Keighley, wapentake of Morleywhich. [1] Historically part of Lancashire, the village dates back to 1209 when it was originally listed as Hauewrth. Literally the place name means "enclosure with a hedge," from the Old English words "haga" + "worth." [2]

One of the first records of the family was Robert de Hawrth who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1200. [3]

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Alicia de Haworth; Johannes Haueworth; Johannes de Haworth; and Otes de Haworth as all holding lands there at that time. [4]

"The Haworths or Howarths are very characteristic of Lancashire, Howorth being of less frequent occurrence. The Haworths of Great Haworth, a very old gentle family, have resided in that place for many centuries; the Haworths of Higher Croft branched off from them in the middle of the 17th century; whilst those of Sale in Cheshire belong to a still later branch. Haworth was a common Rochdale name in the 16th century. Abraham Hawarth was a Manchester boroughreeve in 1746. Haworth is a place or a seat in the county, but I scarcely think that this is a sufficient explanation of the frequency of a name which, in one form or another, is borne by nearly one in every hundred of Lancashire men." [5]

Early History of the Howarth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Howarth research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1609, 1616, 1629, 1639, 1676, 1679, 1680, 1683, 1767, 1793, 1797, 1798, 1802, 1806, 1812, 1817 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Howarth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howarth Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Howarth include Haworth, Howarth and others.

Early Notables of the Howarth family

Distinguished members of the family include Samuel Haworth (fl. 1683), an empiric, a native of Hertfordshire, and probably the son of William Haworth, who wrote against the Hertford Quakers (1676). In 1679 he was a 'student of physic' living next door to the Dolphin in Sighs Lane, and dealing in quack tablets and a tincture. He was patronised by the Duke of York (James II), and admitted an extra-licentiate of the College of Physicians on 12 Oct. 1680. His new way of curing consumption was brought to the notice of Charles II, who ordered him to test it on a case...
Another 182 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Howarth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howarth World Ranking

In the United States, the name Howarth is the 8,290th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [6] However, in Australia, the name Howarth is ranked the 840th most popular surname with an estimated 4,687 people with that name. [7] And in the United Kingdom, the name Howarth is the 464th popular surname with an estimated 13,989 people with that name. [8]


United States Howarth migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Howarth or a variant listed above:

Howarth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Howarth, who settled in Maryland in 1699
Howarth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Howarth, who arrived in New York in 1822 [9]
  • Joseph Howarth, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1847 [9]
  • Margaret Howarth, aged 52, who arrived in New York in 1868 [9]
  • Robert Howarth, aged 45, who arrived in New York in 1868 [9]
  • John Howarth, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 [9]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Howarth Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Thomas Howarth, who landed in Texas in 1900 [9]

Canada Howarth migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Howarth Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Howarth U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 210 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York [10]

Australia Howarth migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Howarth Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. William Howarth, (b. 1762), aged 35, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1811 [11]
Howarth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Howarth, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [12]
  • Mr. Ralph Howarth, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [13]
  • Mr. Benjamin Howarth, (b. 1791), aged 39, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1861 [14]
  • Mr. Joseph Howarth, (b. 1814), aged 17, English farm labourer who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [15]
  • Charles Howarth, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [16]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Howarth migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Howarth Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Howarth, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th November 1852 [17]

Contemporary Notables of the name Howarth (post 1700) +

  • Donald Howarth (b. 1931), English playwright and theatre director
  • Jack Howarth (b. 1945), English retired professional footballer who made over 500 appearances in the Football League, scoring nearly 200 goals
  • Elgar Howarth (b. 1935), English conductor and composer
  • Robert Lever Howarth (1927-2021), British politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolton East (1964-1970), Leader of Bolton Council (1980-2004)
  • Frank Richard Howarth (b. 1951), Australian public servant, Director of the Australian Museum (2004-)
  • Christopher "Chris" Howarth (b. 1960), British Olympic figure skater
  • Valerie Georgina Howarth, Baroness Howarth of Breckland, British politician and a member of the House of Lords
  • John Aubrey Conway "Jack" Howarth MBE (1896-1984), British actor best known for his role as Albert Tatlock in Coronation Street (1960 to 1984)
  • Walter Arthur Harrex Howarth (1882-1958), Australian politician
  • Hedley John Howarth (1943-2008), New Zealand former international cricketer
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mr. Ralph Benton Howarth (1948-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash [18]
Empress of Ireland
  • Miss Emmie Howarth (1910-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [19]
  • Master Melvin Howarth (1909-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [19]
  • Master Leonard Howarth (1909-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [19]
  • Mrs. Beatrice Howarth (1883-1914), née Morgan Canadian Third Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [19]
  • Mr. Wiliam Howarth (d. 1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [19]
  • ... (Another 1 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Howarth Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Quod ero spero
Motto Translation: I hope that I shall be.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  8. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  9. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  10. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
  16. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
  19. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html


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