English2 syllablesVintage
Meaning: Disputed: high guardian, brave of heart, or keeper of hogs.
Howard
| Origin | English surname of contested derivation, in given-name use since the nineteenth century |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Three live theories: Germanic hug (heart, mind) + hard (brave, hardy); Old Norse Hávarðr, from há (high) + varðr (guardian); or the Middle English occupational "hog ward" |
| Pronunciation | HOW-erd (two syllables) |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100; a top-100 American name through the first half of the twentieth century and much reduced since |
| Variants | Haward, Huard (French), Hávarðr (Old Norse), Howerd (rare) |
| Nicknames | Howie, Ward, How |
| Notable family | The Howards, Dukes of Norfolk and premier peers of England since 1483 |
History & meaning
Howard is the interesting case where the experts have not settled, and an honest page says so. One derivation runs it back to an Anglo-Norman personal name Huard or Hughard, from Germanic hug, heart or mind, plus hard, brave — which would make it a cousin of Hugo. A second takes it from Old Norse Hávarðr, há high and varðr guardian, a name brought to England by Scandinavian settlers. A third, less flattering and quite plausibly true for some families, reads it as an occupational surname for a hog ward, the man who minded the pigs. Different Howard families may well descend from different sources, so all three can be right at once.
The surname's prestige is not in doubt. The Howards have held the dukedom of Norfolk since 1483 and supplied two of Henry VIII's queens, and that association is why the surname was borrowed as a first name in the first place, first by British families and then widely in America. Howard was an ordinary top-100 American boy's name for the first decades of the twentieth century — the Howards born then are the Howard Hugheses and Howard Hawkses of the record — before dropping away sharply after the 1950s. It is well outside the current U.S. top 100 today, in the trough that vintage names occupy for a generation or two before they come back.
Why parents choose it
Howard is a grandfather name that has not yet been rediscovered, which for some parents is exactly the appeal: it is familiar to everybody, currently worn by almost no children, and comes with Howie already attached as a soft everyday form. It also sounds unmistakably like a person rather than a place, which sets it apart from most surname-names in use now.
Middle names for Howard
A two-syllable name with a heavy second beat pairs well with a clean middle: Howard James, Howard Vincent, Howard Elias, Howard Grant. Avoid middles beginning with a vowel, which swallow the final -d. Method in the middle names guide.
Famous Howards
Howard Carter opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. Howard Hughes built aircraft, made films and became a byword for reclusive wealth. Howard Hawks directed Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday and Rio Bravo, and Howard Stern rebuilt American radio around himself.
Consider instead
Harold is the closest contemporary of the name, with the same era and the same Norse-and-Germanic tangle behind it. Walter has already begun its comeback if you would rather not be early. Warren keeps the two-syllable mid-century sound with a lighter finish.