How common is the surname Howard?

264,826 people in the United States had the surname Howard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,166 Americans. It ranked 75th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Howard?

Ron Howard, American film director, producer, and actor, followed by Robert E. Howard.

Where is the surname Howard most common?

Wikidata records people named Howard in the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and 2 other countries.

How do you pronounce Howard?

Howard is /ˈhaʊɚd/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Howard getting more or less common?

More common. 254,779 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 264,826 in 2010, up 3.9%.

Is Howard also a first name?

Yes. Howard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Howard

A Norse patronymic surname, the 75th most common in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈhaʊɚd/ 2 syllables Soundex H630 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Howard is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

Norse origin

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.

Howard is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 126 Norse surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 264,826 people named Howard in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,166 Americans. That is up 3.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 254,779.

#75

rank among US surnames

264,826

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.9%

change since 2000 (was #70)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#66	Rogers	302,261	1,021
#67	Gutierrez	293,218	1,053
#68	Ortiz	286,899	1,076
#69	Morgan	286,280	1,078
#70	Cooper	280,791	1,100
#71	Peterson	278,297	1,109
#72	Bailey	277,845	1,111

Who is named Howard

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

64% of people named Howard identified as white (not Hispanic), 29% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as two or more races.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Howards

107 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ron Howard
American film director, producer, and actor, born 1954
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, born 1997
Todd Howard
American video game designer, director, and producer (born 1970)
Clint Howard
American actor, born 1959

Notable Howards come mostly from the United States (85), the United Kingdom (9) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (6).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Howard

Howard has the Soundex code H630, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H630.

Other Norse surnames

All 126 Norse surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Howard come from?: 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 common is the surname Howard?: 264,826 people in the United States had the surname Howard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,166 Americans. It ranked 75th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Howard?: In the 2010 Census, 64% of people named Howard identified as white (not Hispanic), and 29% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Howard?: Ron Howard, American film director, producer, and actor, followed by Robert E. Howard.
Where is the surname Howard most common?: Wikidata records people named Howard in the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and 2 other countries.
How do you pronounce Howard?: Howard is /ˈhaʊɚd/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Howard?: Howard is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Howard getting more or less common?: More common. 254,779 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 264,826 in 2010, up 3.9%.
Is Howard also a first name?: Yes. Howard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.