How Many People Are Named Howard?
people named Howard are alive in the United States today (estimate)
About 1 in 2,954 people in the US has this name
Based on 348,342 babies named Howard in Social Security records from 1880 to 2025, and the share of each birth year still alive in 2025.
Popularity Rank
⭐ Uncommon
Peak Year
7,749 births
Trend
Stable (last 10 years)
📖 Name Origin & Meaning
Meaning:
From an English surname which can derive from several different sources: the Anglo-Norman given name Huard, which was from the Germanic name HUGHARD; the Anglo-Scandinavian given name Haward, from the Old Norse name HÁVARÐR; or the Middle English term ewehirde meaning "ewe herder". This is the surname of a British noble family, members of which have held the title Duke of Norfolk from the 15th century to the present. A famous bearer of the given name was the American industrialist Howard Hughes (1905-1976).
Source of the meaning, origin, pronunciation and related names: Behind the Name.
Related & Similar Names
⚧ Gender Distribution
Almost all of the babies given the name Howard (99.5%) were boys.
👥 Age Distribution
The average person named Howard alive today is about 64 years old, and 69% are 60 or older. Half of them were between 56 and 77 in 2025.
📈 Popularity Over Time
Howard first appears in the records in 1880 and was given most often in 1921, to 7,749 babies. In 2025, 226 babies got the name.
Babies given the name each year, 1880 to 2025
🏆 Rank History
Howard never made the top 10 boys' names. Its best rank was #24, in 1919 to 1920, and it was in the top 100 for 79 years, 1880 to 1958. In 2025 it ranked #1,004.
| Boys | |
|---|---|
| Rank in 2025 | #1,004 |
| Best rank | #24 (1919 to 1920) |
| Years in the top 100 | 79 (1880 to 1958) |
| Rank in its biggest decade | #26 in the 1920s |
📍 State-Wise Distribution
People named Howard alive today, by the state where they were born (estimate; state records start in 1910).
More people named Howard were born in New York than in any other state: about 14,233 of those alive today. Compared with the national rate in the same years, Howard was given 1.9 times as often in Delaware, 1.7 times in Maryland and 1.6 times in Vermont.
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