Howland
An English surname that likely began as a habitational name, originally pointing to someone from a place called Howland or a similar local topographic feature.
The #4,092 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,590 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Howland is most likely a habitational surname, formed from a place-name or local name built with Old English elements. The first part may relate to an Old English word for a hill, mound, or spur-like rise in the land, while the second part is the common Old English land, meaning "land" or "estate." In that reading, the name would have meant something like "land by the hill" or "the upland place."
History
The historical excerpts supplied here mention the surname in English and Manx surname lists, but they do not give a full etymology. The name is well established in England and later appears in North America through migration. Because the sources provided are incidental mentions rather than dictionary entries, the exact place-name source cannot be pinned down from them alone.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Howland is also the surname of Pilgrim-era settlers associated with early New England history, which helped the name gain a foothold in the American record.
From the historical record
“Heywood* 104 Howlan, 66 Howland.f 66 Hroniund* 1 14 Hudgeon, 105 Hutchen, 105 Hutchin, 105”
— The Surnames & Place-Names of the Isle of Man