How Many People Are Named Howard?

How Many People Have the Name Howard in the US?

Based on Social Security Administration birth records and age-adjusted survival modeling, approximately 348,120 people in the United States currently share the name Howard. That works out to roughly 1 in every 948 Americans, placing it in the Uncommon category among all names tracked in US records. For context on where this falls on the full spectrum, see the name rarity checker.

Is Howard a Common or Rare Name?

Howard is classified as Uncommon when scored against the entire US population. Our rarity scale runs from Very Common (top names shared by millions) through Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Very Rare (names held by fewer than a few thousand living people). Understanding where a name sits helps parents gauge uniqueness when choosing a baby name, genealogists narrow down records, and curious individuals settle debates about their own identity.

What Does the Name Howard Mean?

The meaning, language of origin, cultural and religious background, and lucky attributes for Howard are shown in the Meaning & Origin section at the top of this page. Names carry linguistic histories that span centuries and continents — the meaning of a name often reveals the values, beliefs, or aspirations of the culture that first coined it. For a deeper look at thousands of names, explore the name meaning directory.

Gender Breakdown: Is Howard Male or Female?

Of all recorded bearers of Howard in SSA data, approximately 100% are male and 0% are female. Howard is used almost exclusively as a male name in the United States. Gender associations with names shift over time due to cultural trends, celebrity influence, and generational recycling. See our guide to gender-neutral names for more on how naming norms evolve.

When Was Howard Most Popular?

The name Howard reached peak popularity in 1921, with 7,713 babies registered that year. The historical popularity chart above tracks annual usage from 1880 to the present. Peaks and troughs in naming data reflect cultural moments — a famous person, a beloved character, or a major world event can send a name soaring or send it into decades of decline. Our article on 2025 baby name trends explores these forces in detail.

Where Is Howard Most Common in the US?

The state-by-state breakdown above shows estimated bearer counts for Howard across all 50 states. Highly populous states like California, Texas, and New York naturally show higher counts for almost every name simply due to population size. Adjusting for state population reveals whether a name is proportionally more popular in certain regions — often reflecting immigration history, cultural concentration, or regional naming traditions.

How Is This Data Calculated?

All figures on this page are statistical estimates, not exact government headcounts. The underlying data comes from the SSA National Baby Names dataset, which records every given name assigned to 5 or more babies per year going back to 1880. Current living counts are derived by applying age-adjusted survival rates to each birth cohort. For common names the estimates are quite reliable; for rare names the margin of error is wider. Full methodology is explained on the methodology page.