# Howard (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/howard/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Norse |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 264,826 |
| US rank (2010) | 75 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,166 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.9% (254,779 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhaʊɚd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Howard in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 64% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 29% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Howard in the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Australia and the Kingdom of England.

## People named Howard

- Ron Howard, American film director, producer, and actor
- Robert E. Howard, American author (1906–1936)
- Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress and filmmaker (born 1981)
- Tim Howard, American soccer player (born 1979)
- Terrence Howard, American actor (born 1969)
- James Newton Howard, American composer and music producer (born 1951)
- Leslie Howard, British actor (1893–1943)
- Rance Howard, American actor (1928–2017)
- Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, 16th-century English nobleman; (1516-1547)
- Leo Howard, American actor
- Todd Howard, American video game designer, director, and producer (born 1970)
- Clint Howard, American actor

and 95 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Heyward, Hardy, Heard, Howarth, Hoard, Hord, Hard, Hardt, Huard, Horwath, Hart, Huerta.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.