Howlet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Howlet family name to the British Isles. Howlet comes from the Norman personal name Hugh. Howlett was a baptismal name which means the son of Hugh. As the naming tradition grew in Europe, baptismal names began to be introduced in many countries. Baptismal names were sometimes given in honour of Christian saints and other biblical figures. There are very few Christian countries in Europe that did not adopt surnames from these religious figures.

Early Origins of the Howlet family

The surname Howlet was first found in Yorkshire where early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Johannes Houlet et uxor ejus and Adam Howlot et Agnes uxor were listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. Roger filius Hulot was also listed in Yorkshire in another early census. 1

Agnes Hughelot was found in Norfolk c. 1248, Thomas Huwelot in Huntingdonshire c. 1250, and Richard Hulot in the Hundredorum Rolls of Suffolk in 1275. The Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire included John Huelot there in 1327. 2

Early History of the Howlet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Howlet research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1552, 1564, 1566, 1570, 1571, 1587, 1589, 1701, 1736 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Howlet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howlet Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Howlett, Howlet, Hullett and others.

Early Notables of the Howlet family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Howlet (1548-1589), English Jesuit, "born in the county of Rutland in 1548. He entered at Exeter College, Oxford, in 1564, and graduated B.A. in 1566, becoming a fellow. He went abroad in 1570 wi...

Migration of the Howlet family to Ireland

Some of the Howlet family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howlet migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Howlet or a variant listed above:

Howlet Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Howlet, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 3
Thomas Howlet, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Joane Howlet, who landed in America in 1654-1679 3
Tho Howlet, who landed in Virginia in 1655 3

Howlet migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Howlet Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Catherine Hannery Howlet, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1818

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)