Howells is a village in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 561 at the 2010 census. Howells was platted in 1886 when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for James Smith Howell, a local resident. The Howells post office, established in 1886, was spelled as Howell until 1937.