Frequency: (3573)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. English: variant of Holland 1.
2. Americanized form of Norwegian Hovland.
FOREBEARS: Howland was the name of three Quaker brothers, original settlers in Marshfield, MA. They were from Huntingdonshire, England. The eldest, John Howland (c.1593-1672) was a passenger on the Mayflower, servant to Governor John Carver, who died in the first winter at Plymouth Colony.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
