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Boy name

Howard

/ˈhaʊɚd/ · 100% boys · 226 born in 2025

Howard has been given to about 348,342 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1921, which makes it a interwar name.

Meaning—
Origin—
Syllables2
Pronunciation/ˈhaʊɚd/
Nicknames—
Living in the US≈ 156,759
Median age today74 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Howard per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandFranceeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1921 · 7,749
  • Born in 2025226
  • All time348,342
  • England & Wales, 202513

How popular is Howard?

Its best year was 1921, when 7,749 babies were given the name, ranking 27th. The typical living American called Howard is about 74 years old today. It is relatively most common in Wisconsin, where it accounts for 0.02% of births.

Names that sound like Howard

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Edward0.68
  2. Hayward0.71
  3. Ward0.68
  4. Holland0.67
  5. Leonard0.63
  6. Gerard0.55
  7. Ford0.55
  8. Lenard0.55

Middle names for Howard

Ranked by flow score
  1. Howard John0.81
  2. Howard Lee0.81
  3. Howard Bryce0.80
  4. Howard Ross0.80
  5. Howard Quinn0.80
  6. Howard Neal0.80

Sibling names for Howard

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Francisbrother · 0.99
  2. Louisbrother · 0.98
  3. Roybrother · 0.98
  4. Marthasister · 0.96
  5. Rosesister · 0.96
  6. Louisesister · 0.96

Where Howard is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Wisconsin0.02%
  2. Minnesota0.02%
  3. Iowa0.02%
  4. Washington0.01%
  5. Utah0.01%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Howard White0.76
  2. Howard Reyes0.76
  3. Howard Nguyen0.76
  4. Howard Moore0.76
  5. Howard Lee0.76
  6. Howard Green0.76

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Howard

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. France1900–2025
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Howard across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.