How Many People Are Named Howard?
An estimated 130,588 people in the United States have the first name Howard. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #413 overall. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 67 years old, and Howard peaked in popularity in 1921 with 7,749 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Howard as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Howard paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Howard is overwhelmingly male, 1,676 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 67, Howard is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1969.
- Howard has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
130,588
About 1 in 2,625 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
67
years old
Peak Year
1921
7,749 births
Total Registered
348,120
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Howard
Howard is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 348,120 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Howard as a male name
Ranked #1,056 in 2024
207 male births in 2024
Peak: 1921 (7,713 births)
Howard as a female name
Ranked #10,322 in 1987
6 female births in 1987
Peak: 1928 (56 births)
Howard: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Howard span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 70,793 babies were registered. Howard has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Howard by Decade
How has Howard tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,362 | 4,349 | 13 | |
| 1890s | 5,973 | 5,949 | 24 | |
| 1900s | 8,061 | 8,014 | 47 | |
| 1910s | 46,823 | 46,596 | 227 | |
| 1920s | 70,793 | 70,348 | 445 | |
| 1930s | 51,788 | 51,495 | 293 | |
| 1940s | 53,682 | 53,530 | 152 | |
| 1950s | 48,012 | 47,855 | 157 | |
| 1960s | 28,841 | 28,701 | 140 | |
| 1970s | 13,105 | 12,983 | 122 | |
| 1980s | 7,108 | 7,052 | 56 | |
| 1990s | 3,915 | 3,915 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 2,477 | 2,477 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 2,111 | 2,111 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 1,069 | 1,069 | 0 | |
Howard by State
Birth registrations for Howard span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Wyoming. On average, about 6,381 Howards were registered per state.
Howard + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Howard as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Howard
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
Howard: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Howard?
We estimate approximately 130,588 people named Howard are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,625 Americans share this first name.
Is Howard a common name?
Howard is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 348,120 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Howard most popular?
Howard reached peak popularity in 1921, when 7,749 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Howard is approximately 67 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Howard a male name?
Howard is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Howard Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Howard Smith, Howard Johnson, Howard Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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