The first name Howard
A boy’s name from Norse meaning “high”, “guard”.
Pronounced /ˈhaʊɚd/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Norse origin
Howard means “high”, “guard” in Norse.
Medieval personal name from Middle English Howard, Howarde, from Old Norse Hávarðr, from hár (“high”) + varðr (“guard”). In some cases a variant of Heward, from Old French Huard.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 13 boys were named Howard, making it the 1,897th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 47 births (#427).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Howard with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Howard at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 226 boys born in the United States were named Howard, the 1,004th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1921, when 7,713 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Howard in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Howard
Famous people named Howard
222 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- William Howard Taft27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913 (1857–1930)
- Howard CarterBritish egyptologist (1874–1939)
- Howard HughesAmerican aviator, engineer, industrialist, and film producer (1905–1976)
- John Howard NorthropAmerican biochemist (1891-1987)
- Howard FloreyAustralian pathologist (1898-1968)
- Howard ZinnAmerican historian, playwright, and socialist thinker (1922–2010)
- Howard HawksAmerican film director, producer and screenwriter (1896–1977)
- Howard GardnerAmerican developmental psychologist & academic, born 1943
- William Howard SteinAmerican biochemist (1911–1980)
- Howard ShoreCanadian film score composer (born 1946)
- Howard WebbEnglish football referee, born 1971
- Howard TeminAmerican geneticist, 1934–1994
More Norse boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Howard mean?
- Howard means “high”, “guard” in Norse.
- What is the origin of the name Howard?
- Medieval personal name from Middle English Howard, Howarde, from Old Norse Hávarðr, from hár (“high”) + varðr (“guard”). In some cases a variant of Heward, from Old French Huard.
- How popular is the name Howard?
- In 2025, 13 boys born in England and Wales were named Howard, ranking 1,897th. Its peak was 1996, with 47 births.
- What are nicknames for Howard?
- Common nicknames for Howard include Howie.
- Is Howard a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 348,342 US babies named Howard since 1880 were boys.
- When was Howard most popular?
- 1921 in the United States, when 7,713 babies were named Howard, its highest rank at 27th.
- How do you pronounce Howard?
- Howard is /ˈhaʊɚd/, 2 syllables.
- Is Howard also a surname?
- Yes. Howard is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.