boy's name
Howard
HOW-erd
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 349,767
Scotland
#300
1983 births
Howard is a boy's name whose origin is genuinely contested — high guardian, brave heart and even a keeper of pigs have all been proposed. It belongs to England's premier noble family, and our data marks it stable.
- Howard is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1921, when 7,749 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 14,670 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Howard over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,362 |
| 1890s | 5,973 |
| 1900s | 8,061 |
| 1910s | 46,823 |
| 1920s | 70,793 |
| 1930s | 51,788 |
| 1940s | 53,682 |
| 1950s | 48,009 |
| 1960s | 28,843 |
| 1970s | 13,102 |
| 1980s | 7,108 |
| 1990s | 3,915 |
| 2000s | 2,477 |
| 2010s | 2,111 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,295 |
What Howard means
Howard has no settled meaning. High guardian is the usual answer, but brave heart and a compound meaning hog-keeper are also seriously proposed, from different source names.
Where Howard comes from
Howard is a surname of disputed origin, and at least three derivations compete. The Germanic Hughard, meaning heart-brave, and the Norse Haward, meaning high guardian, are the leading candidates; a third takes it from the Old English hogweard, a keeper of pigs, which would make England's premier ducal family swineherds by name. The Howards became Dukes of Norfolk and Earls Marshal of England, hereditary organizers of coronations, and supplied two of Henry VIII's six wives — Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both beheaded. Its use as a given name is nineteenth-century.
Howard in use
Howard peaked in the United States in 1921, when 7,749 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 1003rd in the United States on 226 births and 1967th in England and Wales, across 349,767 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. Its peak year places it with Harold, Irene and Ernest in the 1918 to 1924 cluster, most of which our data now marks stable rather than declining.
How popular is Howard?
In 2025, Howard was given to 226 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Howard is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Howard
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Howard also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Howard over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Howard
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Howard in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Haward
Sibling names for Howard
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Howard — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Howard
What does the name Howard mean?
It is contested. High guardian is the usual answer, but brave heart and a word for a pig-keeper are also seriously proposed.
Is Howard a noble name?
The Howards are Dukes of Norfolk and Earls Marshal of England, and supplied two of Henry VIII's wives.
Does Howard really mean pig-keeper?
It is one of three competing derivations, from the Old English hogweard. It has not been ruled out.
How popular is Howard?
1003rd in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Howard a girl's or a boy's name?
Howard is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Howard?
Howard has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Howard?
Howard is usually shortened to Howie.
Is Howard a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Howard currently ranks #1,003 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.