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Show ContentsHowse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • England England
  • France France
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Howse finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who worked as a person employed "at the house"; in most cases, this was a religious house or convent. The surname Howse is derived from the Old English word hus, which means house. In some cases, the name Howse may be a form of the surname Howes. It is thought to have been an occupational name for a person employed "at the house"; in most cases, this was a religious house or convent. 1

Early Origins of the Howse family

The surname Howse was first found in Oxfordshire where Simon Hus was listed at Eynsham in 1226. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Geoffrey de la House, Huntingdonshire; William de la House, Huntingdonshire; and Richard de la Huse, Buckinghamshire. 3

In Somerset, the first record there was Jacob Huse, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of Edward III.) 4

In Cheshire, Walter del Hus was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1289 and in Kent, William atte House was found in the Feet of Fines for 1331. Much later, Nicholas Howse and Robert Howes were listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1524. 2

"House is a very common name in the Bridgewater district [of Somerset]. Howse is the Wiltshire form of the name, and reference to its origin will be found under that county." 5

Early History of the Howse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Howse research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1603, 1607, 1610, 1611, 1631, 1632, 1644, 1650, 1659 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Howse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howse Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Howse has been recorded under many different variations, including House, Howse, Howes, Hoose, Hows, Houser, Hooser and others.

Early Notables of the Howse family

Distinguished members of the family include Edmund Howes (fl. 1607-1631), English chronicler who lived in London, and designated himself 'gentleman.' "Howes's first edition of Stow's 'Abridgement, or Summarie of the English Chronicle,' appeared in 1607. A dedication to Sir Henry Rowe, the lord mayor, a few notices of 'sundry memorable antiquities,' and a continuation of `maters forrein and domesticall' between 1603 and 1607, constitute Howes's contributions. In 1611 Howes issued another edition of the same work, with a further continuation...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Howse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howse Ranking

In the United States, the name Howse is the 8,378th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Howse is ranked the 324th most popular surname with an estimated 143 people with that name. 7

United States Howse migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Howse or a variant listed above:

Howse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Howse, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 8
  • William Howse, who landed in Virginia in 1653 8
  • John Howse, who arrived in Maryland in 1653 8

Australia Howse migration to Australia +

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

Howse Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Howse, (House), (b. 1815), aged 21, English sawyer who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1884 9
  • George Howse, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
  • Mr. George Howse, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • Edward Howse, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "South Sea"

New Zealand Howse 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:

Howse Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Howse, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Spray of the Ocean" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st September 1859 12
  • J. Howse, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

West Indies Howse migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13
Howse Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Jo Howse, aged 41, who landed in Barbados in 1635 8
  • Mr. John Howse, (b. 1594), aged 41, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Howse (post 1700) +

  • Ron Howse, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 2008 15
  • Hilary Ewing Howse (1866-1938), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, 1909-15, 1924-38; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1912, 1916 15
  • A. E. Howse, American politician, Mayor of Wichita, Kansas, 1956-57 15
  • Joseph Howse (1774-1852), English-born, Canadian fur trader, explorer, and linguistic scholar from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, eponym of Howse Peak, the highest mountain in the Waputik Mountains, Canada
  • Sir Neville Reginald Howse VC (1863-1930), English-born, Australian Major General, the first Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, born in Somerset; he emigrated to Australia in 1889 and eventually settled in Orange, New South Wales
  • Donald Gordon Howse (b. 1952), Newfoundland born, Canadian retired professional NHL ice hockey player
  • Geoffrey Howse (b. 1955), British actor and author
  • John Brooke Howse (1913-2002), Australian politician, son of Sir Neville Howse
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Thomas Howse (b. 1902), English Leading Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Kingston, Surrey, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 16
SS Caribou
  • Mr. William Palmer Howse, British passenger who was Royal Air Force Corporal from Winnipeg, Manitoba was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he died in the sinking
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  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. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  10. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  14. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  15. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  16. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
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