HOWARD
The surname Howard is an English family name of considerable antiquity, recorded across the British Isles and principally associated with England. It is recognised as a hereditary name derived from a personal or forename, and its bearers have traditionally been Christian and English‑speaking.
From an etymological standpoint the name admits several plausible origins. In Old English it may descend from the personal name Haward or Hawardus, denoting a “high guardian” or “chief guardian”. A parallel derivation is found in Old Norse, where Hávarðr conveys the meaning “high defender” or “high guardian”. An alternative line of descent traces the name to the Norman‑French forms Huard and Heward, themselves adaptations of the early Germanic personal name Hughard (from hug ‘heart, spirit’ and hard ‘hardy, brave’). A further Anglo‑Scandinavian source is the composite Haward, formed from ha ‘high’ and varthr ‘guardian’.
The earliest documentary evidence of the surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the forms Huardus, Huart and Houardus are recorded as land‑owners. The first unequivocal spelling of the family name is found in a 1221 entry of the rolls of Ely Abbey, Cambridgeshire, referring to Robert Howarde during the reign of King Henry III.
Throughout English history the Howard family has occupied a prominent position in the heraldic and political landscape. Seventy‑five entries under the name appear in the British National Biography, and thirty‑seven distinct coats of arms have been granted to its bearers. The highest heraldic rank, that of Earl Marshal, is traditionally associated with the Duke of Norfolk, a line that descends from Sir William Howard (d. 1308). Moreover, Lord Howard of Effingham commanded the English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, a feat often misattributed to Sir Francis Drake.
In contemporary usage the surname is found under several orthographies, including Howard, Howerd, Heward and Huard. Its enduring legacy reflects a synthesis of English, Norse and Norman linguistic traditions, underscoring the complex tapestry of medieval onomastics in the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Howard surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Howard in...
Braille
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Howard are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Oreo.
There are approximately 56,483 people named Howard in the UK. That makes it the 117th most common surname in Britain. Around 867 in a million people in Britain are named Howard.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Howard
- Ron Howard - American film director, producer, and actor
- Russell Howard - Comedian and presenter
- Michael Howard - Politician; Former leader of the Conservative Party
- Bryce Dallas Howard - American actress
- Dwight Howard - American basketball player
- Francis Alick Howard - Actor (1917 to 1992)
- Ben Howard - Singer and songwriter
- Dominic Howard - Musician
- Ebenezer Howard - Writer, founder of the garden city movement (1850 to 1928)
- Terrence Howard - American actor
- Elizabeth Jane Howard - Writer (1923 to 2014)
- Ronald Howard - Actor (1918 to 1996)
- Michael Howard - Military historian
- Clint Howard - American actor
- Alan Howard - Actor (1937 to 2015)
- Kerry Howard - Actress
- Madeleine Howard - Actress
- Georgiana Howard, Countess of Carlisle - Noblewoman (1783 to 1858)
- Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk - Sailor, politician, and courtier (1561 to 1626)
- Liam Michael Feeney-Howard - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.