Howard is an English-language

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

originating from Old French Huard (or

Houard Houard is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Clodomir Houard (1873–1943), French botanist and entomologist * Marie-Claire Houard, Belgian civil servant See also * Howard Howard is an English-language given name origi ...

) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probably in some cases a confusion with the Old Norse cognate ''Haward'' (''Hávarðr''), which means "high guard" and as a surname also with the unrelated Hayward. In some rare cases it is from the Old English ''eowu hierde'' "ewe herd". In

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...

the French digram ''-ou-'' was often rendered as ''-ow-'' such as ''tour'' → ''tower'', ''flour'' (western variant form of ''fleur'') → ''flower'', etc. (with

svarabakhti In phonology, epenthesis (; Greek ) means the addition of one or more sounds to a word, especially in the beginning syllable ('' prothesis'') or in the ending syllable (''paragoge'') or in-between two syllabic sounds in a word. The word ''epenth ...

). A diminutive is "Howie" and its shortened form is "Ward" (most common in the 19th century). Between 1900 and 1960, Howard ranked in the U.S. Top 200; between 1960 and 1990, it ranked in the U.S. Top 400; between 1990 and 2004, it ranked in the U.S. Top 600. People with the given name Howard or its variants include:

Given name

Howard Allen Howard Arthur Allen (February 10, 1949 – June 5, 2020) was an American serial killer from Indianapolis, Indiana. He murdered three elderly people and also committed assault, burglary, and arson. Early life Allen was one of eight children wh ...

(1949–2020), American serial killer * Howard Duane Allman (1946–1971), American guitar virtuoso *

Howard Anderson (disambiguation) Howard Anderson may refer to: People *Howard A. Anderson Jr. (1920–2015), American visual effects artist and title designer * Howard C. Anderson Jr., North Dakota politician * Howard P. Anderson (1915–2000), Virginia politician *Howard Anderson ...

, name of several people * Howard Andrew (1934–2021), American poker player * Howard Ashman (1950–1991), American lyricist known for ''Little Shop of Horrors'', ''The Little Mermaid'' and ''Beauty and the Beast'' *

Howard Baker (disambiguation) Howard Baker (1925–2014) was a U.S. senator from Tennessee and ambassador to Japan. Howard Baker may also refer to: *Howard Baker (baseball) (1888–1964), Major League Baseball player *Benjamin Howard Baker (1892–1987), English association fo ...

, name of several people *

Howard Burnett (athlete) Howard McNeal Burnett (born 8 March 1961) is a retired male sprinter from Jamaica, who mainly competed in the men's 400 metres during his career. He is a one-time Olympian, making his only appearance in 1988 (Seoul, South Korea), when he won t ...

(born 1961), Jamaican track and field athlete *

Howard J. Burnett Howard Jerome Burnett (October 14, 1929 – June 16, 2019) was a president of Washington & Jefferson College. Life and career Burnett, a native of Holyoke, Massachusetts, earned a B.A. degree in political science from Amherst College in 1952; ...

(1929–2019), American president of Washington & Jefferson College *

Howard Carpendale Howard Victor Carpendale (born 14 January 1946) is a South African-German singer living and working in Germany. Biography Carpendale is a pop singer who sings most of his songs in German. His 1979 song ''Nachts, wenn alles schläft'' had been ...

(born 1946), German singer *

Howard Carter (disambiguation) Howard Carter (1874–1939) was an English archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb. Howard Carter may also refer to: * Howard Carter (basketball) (born 1961), American basketball player * Howard Carter (businessman), founder of Incognito c ...

, name of several people * Howard Cosell (1918–1995), sports broadcaster * Howard Ward Cunningham (born 1949), American founder of WikiWikiWeb *

Howard David Howard David is an American sportscaster. Biography Over the years, David has been the radio play-by-play man for several pro sports teams including the NBA's New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics and the NFL's New York Jets and Mi ...

, American sportscaster * Howard Davies (disambiguation), name of several people *

Howard Davis (disambiguation) Howard Davis is the name of: *Howard Davis (professor of architecture), American writer and professor of architecture at the University of Oregon *Howard Davis (musician) (1940–2008), British violinist *Howard Davis (sprinter) (born 1967), Jamaic ...

, name of several people * Howard Dean (born 1948), American politician * Howard Donald (born 1968), English singer *

Howard Devoto Howard Devoto (born Howard Andrew Trafford, 15 March 1952) is a retired English singer and songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for punk rock band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands. After M ...

(born Howard Trafford, 1952), English singer-songwriter *

Howard Duff Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

(1913–1990), American actor * Howard Eastman (born 1970), Guyanese-British boxer * Howard Ehmke (1894–1959), American baseball pitcher * Howard Eisenberg (born 1926), American author and journalist * Howard Eisley (born 1972), American basketball player and coach * Howard Engel (1931–2019), Canadian mystery writer * Howard Eskin (born 1951), American sports radio personality *

Howard Evans (disambiguation) Howard Evans may refer to: * Howard Evans (journalist) (1839–1915), British Radical and Nonconformist journalist * Howard Ensign Evans (1919–2002), American entomologist * Howard Evans (musician) Howard Evans (29 February 1944 in Chard, Somers ...

, name of several people *

Howard Goodall Howard Lindsay Goodall (; born 26 May 1958) is an English composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. He also presents music-based programmes for television and radio, for which he has won many awards. In May 2008, he was na ...

(born 1958), British musician, musicologist and TV presenter *

Howard Grant (boxer) Howard Grant (born June 22, 1966 in Saint Ann, Jamaica) is a retired male Canadian boxer, competing in the light-welterweight (– 63.5 kg) division. A resident of Montréal, Quebec, he represented Canada at the 1988 Summer Olympics i ...

(born 1966), Jamaican-Canadian boxer *

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A v ...

(1896–1977), American producer *

Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman (February 27, 1940 – January 29, 2022) was an American actor known for his television roles as burned-out disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on ''WKRP in Cincinnati'', and the lead role of history teacher Charlie Moore on ''Head of ...

(1940–2022), American actor *

Howard A. Howe Howard Atkinson Howe (July 29, 1901 – December 22, 1976) was an American physician, whose work at the Johns Hopkins medical institutions helped to lay the groundwork for the Salk polio vaccine. Early years and education A native of Wabash, Indi ...

(1901–1976), American virologist * Howard Hughes (1905–1976), American aviation pioneer and film mogul * Howard Jacobson (born 1942), British novelist and journalist * Howard Johnson (disambiguation), name of several people *

Howard Jones (disambiguation) Howard Jones may refer to: * Howard Jones (British musician) (born 1955), English pop singer *Howard Jones (American musician) (born 1970), vocalist for Light The Torch * Howard Jones (American football coach) (1885–1941), American football play ...

, name of several people *

Howard Judd Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

(1935–2007), American physician and medical researcher * Howard Keel (1919–2004), singer and actor born Harry Keel * Howard Kendall, English football player and manager *

Howard Andrew Knox Howard Andrew Knox (March 7, 1885 – July 27, 1949) was an American medical doctor and eugenicist specializing in heart and rheumatic diseases. Serving as an assistant surgeon at Ellis Island during the early 1900s, he made major contributions to ...

(1885–1949), American physician *

Howard Lassoff Howard Alan Lassoff (October 15, 1955 – February 7, 2013) was an American-Israeli basketball player. He also played in Israel for 14 years. Biography Initially interested in tennis, Lassoff grew to 6 feet 10 inches tall. He became interes ...

(1955–2013), American-Israeli basketball player * Howard Lederer (born 1964), professional poker player *

Howard Lesnick Howard Lesnick (April 22, 1931 – April 19, 2020) was the Jefferson B. Fordham Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Biography Lesnick was born into a Jewish family in New York City to George L. and Sadie (R ...

(1931–2020), American, Jefferson B. Fordham Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School *

Howard Long Howard Long (September 21, 1905 – July 14, 1939) was an American convicted murderer who was executed for the 1937 murder of 10-year-old Mark Neville Jensen in Gilford, New Hampshire. He was the last person to be executed by the state of New Ham ...

(1905–1939), American convicted murderer * H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937), American writer (full name Howard Phillips Lovecraft) *

Howard McNear Howard Terbell McNear (January 27, 1905 – January 3, 1969) was an American stage, screen, and radio character actor. McNear is best remembered as the original voice of Doc Adams in the radio version of ''Gunsmoke'' and as Floyd Lawson, the ...

(1905–1969), American radio and television actor * Howard Marks (1945–2016), teacher, drug smuggler and author *

Howard Matthews William Howard Matthews (29 November 1885 – 9 February 1963) was an English football goalkeeper who played for Port Vale, Burton United, Oldham Athletic, Halifax Town, Chester, and Oswestry Town. With Oldham he finished second in the Secon ...

(1885–1963), English footballer *

Howard W. Mattson Howard W. Mattson (May 15, 1927 – May 21, 1998) was the third Executive Vice President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), serving in that capacity from 1987 until his 1991 retirement. Prior to that, he had served in public relatio ...

(1927–1998), American chemist and journalist *

Howard T. Odum Howard Thomas Odum (September 1, 1924 – September 11, 2002), usually cited as H. T. Odum, was an American ecologist. He is known for his pioneering work on ecosystem ecology, and for his provocative proposals for additional laws of thermod ...

(1924–2002), American ecologist * Howard Allen O'Brien, birth name of American writer Anne Rice *

Howard Payne (athlete) Andrew 'Howard' Payne (17 April 1931 – 1 March 1992) was an English Olympic Games, Olympic track and field athlete. He specialised in the hammer throw event during his career. Biography Born in Benoni, Gauteng (South Africa), Payne represented ...

(1931–1992), English hammer thrower * Howard Schatz, American fine art photographer *

Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer and conductor noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' film trilogies. ...

(born 1946), Canadian composer *

Howard Smith (disambiguation) Howard Smith may refer to: Companies * Howard Smith Limited, former Australian industrial company Government and politics * Howard Alexander Smith (1880–1966), U.S. Senator from New Jersey * Howard E. Smith (Minnesota politician) (1917–2 ...

, name of several people *

Howard Smothers Howard Smothers (born November 16, 1973) is a former American football offensive lineman who played three seasons in the Arena Football League with the Orlando Predators and Buffalo Destroyers. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sev ...

(born 1973), American football player *

Howard Spira Howard "Howie" Spira is an American gambler and convicted felon who was central to Fay Vincent's decision to ban George Steinbrenner from baseball during the 1990s. In 1991 he was convicted of trying to extort $110,000 from Steinbrenner and spent o ...

, American gambler who was paid by George Steinbrenner to find dirt on baseball player Dave Winfield * Howard Stableford (born 1959), British television and radio presenter * Howard Staunton (1810–1874), British chess player and Shakespearean scholar * Howard Stern (born 1954), American talk-radio host *

Howard K. Stern Howard Kevin Stern (born November 29, 1968) is an American attorney based in California. He was the domestic partner, attorney and agent of the late model Anna Nicole Smith. He became known as a co-star on Smith's 2002–2004 reality television ...

(born 1968), attorney for Anna Nicole Smith *

Howard Stidham Howard Stidham (born December 17, 1954) is a former American football linebacker who played one season with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifteenth round of the 1976 NFL D ...

(born 1954), American football player *

Howard Stupp Howard Michael Stupp (born 3 May 1955) is a Canadian former wrestler. An Olympian, he won five Canadian championships (1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981), two Pan Am Games titles (1975, 1979), two Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union championship ...

(born 1955), Canadian Olympic wrestler * Howard Tayler (born 1968), American cartoonist *

Howard Turner Howard Hunter Turner (May 4, 1897 – November 17, 1976) was an American football back who played one season with the Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League. He played college football at Lombard College. The Jim Turner listed on other ...

(1897–1976), American football player * Howard Unruh (1921–2009), American spree killer *

Howard Wales Howard Wales (February 8, 1943 – December 7, 2020) was an American keyboardist who worked in a wide variety of styles. He was a collaborator with Jerry Garcia in the early 1970s. Wales was a session player for many musical acts, including Ronn ...

(1943–2020), American musician *

Howard Walker (disambiguation) Howard Walker may refer to: * Howard Walker (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player * Howard Walker (politician) Howard Walker (born December 10, 1954) is a Republican politician from Michigan who served a term in the Michigan Senate after ser ...

, name of several people *

Howard Walter Howard Arnold Walter (August 19, 1883November 1, 1918) was an American Congregationalist minister, author, and hymnwriter. Born in New Britain, Connecticut on August 19, 1883, Howard Arnold Walter was the son of Henry S. Walter, superintenden ...

(1883–1918), American Congregationalist minister and hymnist *

Howard Watt Howard Hugh Watt (1 March 1911 – 17 August 2005) was the last surviving pre-war Springbok and part of the South African rugby team nicknamed "The Invincibles". Nicknamed ''Sparkle'', he was both a cricketer and rugby player. Early life Watt w ...

(1911–2005), South African rugby union player *

Howard Watts III Howard Watts III (born December 14, 1987) is an American politician serving as a member of the Nevada Assembly from the 15th district. Elected in 2018, he assumed office in 2019. Early life and education Watts was born in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1 ...

(born 1987), American politician * Howard Wilkinson (born 1943), English football manager *

Howard Williams (disambiguation) Howard Williams may refer to: * Howard Williams (humanitarian) (1837–1931), English humanitarianism and vegetarianism activist *Howard Williams (archaeologist), British archaeologist * Howard Williams (TV presenter), British TV presenter with Bas ...

, name of several people *

Howard Wilson Howard Wilson (born October 30, 1995) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Houston, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Professional career Wilson ...

(born 1995), American football player *

Howard Wilson (physicist) Howard Wilson is a British professor of plasma physics at the University of York. He served as research programme director at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research org ...

, British physicist * Howard Zinn (1922–2010), American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist

Howie

* Howie B (born 1963), Scottish musician and producer Howard Bernstein *

Howie Carr Howard Louis Carr Jr. (born January 17, 1952) is an American conservative radio talk-show host, political author, news reporter and award-winning writer. He hosts ''The Howie Carr Show'' originating from his studios in Wellesley, MA and broadca ...

(born 1952), American journalist * Howie Day (born 1981), American singer-songwriter * Howie Dorough (born 1973), American musician with Backstreet Boys * Howie Epstein (1955–2003), American musician * Howie Gordon (later known as Richard Pacheco), American pornographic actor * Howie Hawkins, American politician and activist * Howie Long (born 1960), American former football player and actor *

Howie Mandel Howard Michael Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian-American comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel voiced the character Gizmo in the 1984 film ''Gremlins'' and the 1990 sequel '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch''. I ...

(born 1955), Canadian comedian and actor, host of the TV show ''Deal or No Deal'' *

Howie Meeker Howard William Meeker (November 4, 1923 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian professional hockey player in the National Hockey League, youth coach and educator in ice hockey, and a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament. He became best ...

(1923–2020), Canadian hockey player, TV sports announcer, Member of Parliament * Howie Morenz (1902–1937), Canadian ice hockey player * Howie Nave (born 1956), American comedian, radio personality, writer, promoter and movie critic * Howie Rose (born 1954), American sportscaster *

Howie Severino Horacio "Howie" Gorospe Severino (born July 18, 1961) is a Filipino broadcast journalist, anchor, host, documentarist and podcaster who is currently working in GMA Network. He is best known for his work with the Philippine Center for Investigati ...

(born 1961), Filipino broadcast journalist * Howie Winter (1929–2020), American mobster

Fictional characters

Howard Bellamy (Doctors) Howard Bellamy is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' Doctors'', portrayed by Ian Kelsey. Howard first appeared on 28 May 2012, where he is introduced as the practice manager of the fictional Mill Health Centre. Kelsey was cast ...

, in the British soap opera ''Doctors'' * Howard Clifford, a fictional villain in the '' Detective Pikachu'' movie * Howard Cunningham (Happy Days), in the ''Happy Days'' TV series * Howard Hamlin, a fictional character on the AMC television series ''Better Call Saul'' *

Howard Huge ''Howard Huge'' is a cartoon series written by Bunny Hoest and illustrated by John Reiner. Created by Bill Hoest, the series had 80 million readers, since it ran in the Sunday supplement magazine, ''Parade'' from 1980 to 2007, continuing on a websi ...

, a comic strip dog * Howard Hunter, in the TV series '' Hill Street Blues'', played by James B. Sikking * Howard Langston, in the 1996 film ''

Jingle All the Way ''Jingle All the Way'' is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larabe ...

'' *

Howard McBride Howard and Harold McBride are a pair of fictional supporting characters in the American animated television series ''The Loud House'' and it's resulting multimedia franchise on Nickelodeon. Howard and Harold are voiced by comedians Michael McDo ...

, in the animated series ''The Loud House'' * Howard McGreggor, in the TV series '' Fresh Meat (TV series)'' * Howard Moon, in the TV series ''The Mighty Boosh'', portrayed by Julian Barratt *

Howard Roark ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...

, protagonist of Ayn Rand's novel ''The Fountainhead'' * Howard Stark, father of Iron Man Tony Stark * Howard Wolowitz, a fictional character on the CBS television series ''The Big Bang Theory'', portrayed by actor Simon Helberg. * Howard the Duck, a comic book character * Howard Link, a "Crow" and Inspector for the Black Order in the

D. Gray Man ''D.Gray-man'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. Set in an alternate 19th century, it tells the story of a young Allen Walker, who joins an organization of exorcists named the Black Order. They use an a ...

Anime/Manga * Howard Marner, a fictional character from Short Circuit (1986 film) * Howard Silk, main character and agent in the TV series '' Counterpart (TV series)'' * Howard DeVille, in the animated series '' Rugrats''

References

{{given name English masculine given names Given names originating from a surname