Contents [hide]

Howley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Howley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Howley reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Howley family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Howley family lived in Cheshire. The name, however, is a reference to the family's former place of residence Houlei, France. They took their name from this place in its local form, de Houlei, which literally translates as from Houlei.

Early Origins of the Howley family

The surname Howley was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Howle (Howl), is a small village in Shropshire, England that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086.

Early History of the Howley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Howley research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1766, 1828, 1829 and 1848 are included under the topic Early Howley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howley Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Howley, Howly, O'Howley and others.

Early Notables of the Howley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William Howley (1766-1848), Archbishop of Canterbury from 1828 to 1848

Howley Ranking

In the United States, the name Howley is the 11,524^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Howley family to Ireland

Some of the Howley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howley migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Howley name or one of its variants:

Howley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jasper Howley, who landed in Maryland in 1678 2

Howley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

M. A. Howley settled with his wife and eight children in New York in 1820
Patrick Howley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 2
Martin Howley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 2
Mark, Patrick and William Howley, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
Brgt. Howley, aged 24, who landed in America from Dublin, in 1892

Howley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Anne Howley, aged 18, who settled in America from Tubbercurry, in 1902
Anthony Howley, aged 20, who settled in America from Kiltimagh, in 1903
Andrew Howley, aged 24, who landed in America from Ballyvaughen, in 1905
Ann Howley, aged 39, who landed in America from Wednesbury, in 1906
Bridget Howley, aged 21, who landed in America from Carron Castle, in 1906
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Howley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Howley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Timothy Howley, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Matilda" from Cork, Ireland
John Howley, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
Michael Howley, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
Thomas Howley, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
Miss. Catherine Howley who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Virginius" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In 1847 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Howley migration to Australia +

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

Howley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Timothy Howley, aged 45, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Marshall Bennett" 4
Margaret Howley, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 5
Mary Howley, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 5
Honora Howley, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Australia"
Thomas Howley, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Royal Albert"

Howley 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:

Howley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Philip Howley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1863 6
Mr. Philip Howley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gertrude" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th February 1863 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Howley (post 1700) +

Frank Leo "Howlin'" Howley (1903-1993), United States Army Brigadier General
Daniel Philip "Dapper Dan" Howley (1885-1944), American Major League Baseball player and manager
Chuck Howley (b. 1936), American football linebacker
Michael J. Howley, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Cairo, Illinois, 1893-98 8
Michael Howley, American politician, Mayor of Hickory Hills, Illinois, 2003-07 8
Lee Howley, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1964 8
Joseph Howley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1912 8
Edward R. Howley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1960 8
William Howley (1766-1848), English clergyman, Archbishop of Canterbury (1828 to 1848), the only son of William Howley, vicar of Bishops Sutton and Ropley, Hampshire, born at Ropley on 12 Feb. 1766 9
Kevin Howley (1924-1997), English football referee
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Howley family +

Halifax Explosion

Miss Fay Alma Howley (1912-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
Mrs. Emeline Pickford Howley (1880-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
Mr. Francis John Howley (1880-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Rose Howley, English 3rd Class passenger from England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 11

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 34)
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MARSHALL BENNETT 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marshallbennett1852.shtml
South Australian Register Thursday 29th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Trafalgar 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/trafalgar1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 7 August 2020
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/