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Name Lineage

    The first name Howe

    A boy’s name from Norse meaning “steep ridge”, “hock”, “heel”.

    Pronounced /haʊ/ 1 syllable Male Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    Norse origin

    Howe means “steep ridge”, “hock”, “heel” in Norse.

    * As an English surname, from Middle English hoʒe (“steep ridge”), a late variant of hōge, dative case of Old English hoh (“hock, heel”), with likely influence from Old Norse haugr (“hill”). * Also as an English surname, variant of Hugh, pronounced to rhyme with how. * As a Norwegian surname, Americanized from Hove, from the dative singular of Old Norse hof (“place of worship”). * As an Irish surname, variant of Haugh; also a variant of Hoey. * As a Chinese surname, variant romanization of 侯, see also Hou. * Also as a Chinese surname, possibly from Cantonese form of the names 豪 (háo), 浩, and 昊 (hào).

    More names that mean mountain.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Howe at birth, 1880–2025

    In 1921, 8 boys born in the United States were named Howe, the 3,339th most popular boys’ name that year.

    0510 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    28
    babies named Howe since 1880
    #3,339
    rank in 1921
    1921
    peak year

    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.

    Famous people named Howe

    2 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Hubert Howe Bancroft
      American historian and ethnologist (1832–1918)
    • Howe Gelb
      American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, born 1956

    More Norse boys’ names

    All 32 names of Norse origin

    Questions

    What does the name Howe mean?
    Howe means “steep ridge”, “hock”, “heel” in Norse.
    What is the origin of the name Howe?
    * As an English surname, from Middle English hoʒe (“steep ridge”), a late variant of hōge, dative case of Old English hoh (“hock, heel”), with likely influence from Old Norse haugr (“hill”). * Also as an English surname, variant of Hugh, pronounced to rhyme with how. * As a Norwegian surname,…
    When was Howe most popular?
    1921 in the United States, when 8 babies were named Howe, its highest rank at 3,339th.
    How do you pronounce Howe?
    Howe is /haʊ/, one syllable.
    Is Howe also a surname?
    Yes. Howe is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.