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How Family History

How Surname Meaning

English: variant of Howe or Hugh.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 侯 (see Hou), 郝 (see Hao), 胡 (see Hu), 何 and 賀 (see He 1 and).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the How family from?

You can see how How families moved over time by selecting different census years. The How family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most How families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 472 How families living in London. This was about 28% of all the recorded How's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of How families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the How surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your How ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named How. 8% of How men worked as a General Labourer and 74% of How women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named How were Railway Clerk and Housewife.

View Census Data for How | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Farmer
    5%
  • Bricklayer
    5%
  • Railway Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    74%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Household Duties (unpaid)
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

What How family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 69,000 census records available for the last name How. Like a window into their day-to-day life, How census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for How

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name How. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all How immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 36,000 military records available for the last name How. For the veterans among your How ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all How military records

You've only scratched the surface of How family history

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What is the average How lifespan?

Between 1957 and 2004, in the United States, How life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 1970. The average life expectancy for How in 1957 was 64, and 86 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for How

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your How ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the How family tree

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