Howard

Last seen for girls in 1987 at #9,825 · #1,002 for boys in 2025, 226 births
Given to boys 99.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1920 · 7,466 births
Debut · boys
357 births
In top 100 · boys
79 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
346,666
since 1880

Howard over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201925peak #24, 1920boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,002226
2024#1,057207
2023#1,003219
2022#1,057208
2021#937241
2020#1,044194
2019#984216
2018#975213
2017#996203
2016#901241
2015#1,038194
2014#986211
2013#1,008194
2012#983203
2011#957207
2010#894229
2009#942216
2008#906229
2007#861241
2006#834243
2005#822229
2004#774235
2003#718258
2002#684266
2001#643290
2000#664270
1999#637277
1998#586330
1997#572324
1996#589305
1995#532358
1994#523374
1993#499416
1992#466464
1991#444495
1990#403572
1989#392559
1988#344614
1987#9,8256#330626
1986#9,5456#331600
1985#9,3076#301677
1984#6,8109#298674
1983#282727
1982#5,20913#268795
1981#9,1106#255855
1980#6,31910#242925
1979#8,0617#238926
1978#6,9488#222956
1977#4,94213#2161,017
1976#4,90512#2081,032
1975#4,14115#1951,166
1974#6,2588#1861,208
1973#3,63517#1741,349
1972#4,09114#1681,493
1971#5,13610#1561,837
1970#3,43518#1561,996
1969#3,61915#1422,146
1968#3,45615#1332,156
1967#3,84512#1312,284
1966#3,55813#1202,546
1965#3,26415#1222,678
1964#4,09611#1163,059
1963#3,63513#1143,160
1962#3,78212#1143,277
1961#2,75220#1093,570
1960#3,35714#1083,827
1959#3,61912#1043,987
1958#3,08515#954,364
1957#3,03315#894,614
1956#2,82617#844,707
1955#2,34122#834,746
1954#2,69517#804,933
1953#2,17323#774,985
1952#3,04013#735,244
1951#3,28411#745,108
1950#3,05212#635,164
1949#3,39310#635,284
1948#3,5939#635,497
1947#2,14621#626,061
1946#3,6658#555,694
1945#1,74323#544,768
1944#2,19916#535,025
1943#1,90021#485,739
1942#1,91720#495,571
1941#2,27214#475,067
1940#2,73710#454,824
1939#1,32731#474,613
1938#2,02116#425,018
1937#1,63022#424,700
1936#1,29631#404,874
1935#1,77919#394,970
1934#1,60322#375,068
1933#1,26232#364,995
1932#1,26833#365,292
1931#1,25833#345,624
1930#1,00254#316,341
1929#1,07846#316,010
1928#99456#316,496
1927#1,19442#286,831
1926#1,05450#276,836
1925#1,10148#267,173
1924#1,15146#267,371
1923#1,30536#267,156
1922#1,20741#267,296
1921#1,29836#277,713
1920#1,13244#247,466
1919#1,48128#246,843
1918#1,21438#266,928
1917#1,24134#266,410
1916#1,33230#256,171
1915#1,36727#256,103
1914#1,22825#264,490
1913#1,27420#263,663
1912#1,21819#253,212
1911#2,1916#281,467
1910#271,309
1909#1,4719#261,166
1908#2,1015#281,078
1907#33875
1906#1,7276#32803
1905#1,16211#35735
1904#1,6596#35726
1903#37636
1902#35632
1901#1,6795#34584
1900#1,9325#35779
1899#1,5965#34589
1898#1,5026#35706
1897#33634
1896#33677
1895#33641
1894#33612
1893#35556
1892#39548
1891#1,3325#40485
1890#1,0068#40501
1889#38503
1888#9598#40513
1887#1,1475#42429
1886#37467
1885#41438
1884#44432
1883#39429
1882#42422
1881#41359
1880#44357
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Howard was already there! It came in at #44, and was given to 357 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1999–2025, when fewer than 300 boys a year got the name.

See more about Howard
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 55 spots since 2024 (#1,057#1,002)
  • 42 spots since 2020 (#1,044#1,002)
  • 36 spots since 2015 (#1,038#1,002)
  • Biggest jump: 137 spots in 2016 (#1,038#901)
  • Biggest drop: 120 spots in 2022 (#937#1,057)
Rise & fade · boys
40 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1920 at #24 (7,466 births)
  • Births halved by 1961, 41 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 79 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 79 yrs · run 1880–1958
  • Top 1,000: 139 yrs · run 1880–2012
Share of babies · boys
1 in 134
  • Highest: 1 in 134 boys born in 1912 were named Howard (0.75%)
  • Latest: 1 in 7,558 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #24 in 1920, was only 1 in 143 (0.70%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 20.3% of all boys named Howard (70,348) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s4,349#37 (1886)#41
1890s5,949#33 (1896)#36
1900s8,014#26 (1909)#33
1910s46,596#24 (1919)#26
1920s70,348#24 (1920)#27
1930s51,495#31 (1930)#38
1940s53,530#45 (1940)#54
1950s47,852#63 (1950)#82
1960s28,703#108 (1960)#121
1970s12,980#156 (1970)#192
1980s7,052#242 (1980)#304
1990s3,915#403 (1990)#525
2000s2,477#643 (2001)#785
2010s2,111#894 (2010)#972
2020s1,295#937 (2021)#1,017

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Howard in 1925

girls
#1,101
48 births · 1 in 25,362 girls
boys
#26
7,173 births · 1 in 156 boys

Top girls' names in 1925

  1. #1Mary70,586
  2. #2Dorothy38,570
  3. #3Betty32,812
  4. #4Helen29,173
  5. #5Margaret24,463
  6. #6Ruth22,247
  7. #7Virginia17,490
  8. #8Doris16,075
  9. #9Mildred14,453
  10. #10Elizabeth13,936
  11. #1,101Howard48

Top boys' names in 1925

  1. #1Robert60,895
  2. #2John57,195
  3. #3William53,310
  4. #4James52,680
  5. #5Charles29,580
  6. #6George26,560
  7. #7Joseph24,613
  8. #8Richard23,269
  9. #9Edward20,090
  10. #10Donald19,193
  11. #26Howard7,173
More about 1925

girls

1,217,384 girls got a published name in 1925; 1 in 25,362 of them was named Howard, which outranked 80.9% of the 5,771 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Howard
  1. #1,089Leda49
  2. #1,089Lilia49
  3. #1,089Rochelle49
  4. #1,101Howard48
  5. #1,101Amie48
  6. #1,101Clarabelle48
  7. #1,101Cleola48
  8. #1,119Almeta47
  9. #1,119Beatriz47
  10. #1,119Bebe47

Tied with 17 names at #1,101; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1924
Risers
  1. 605Nanette#1,475#870
  2. 417Paulina#1,258#841
  3. 353Estela#1,258#905
  4. 323Delois#1,123#800
  5. 313Veola#1,301#988
Fallers
  1. 610Kathlyn#999#1,609
  2. 396Izetta#951#1,347
  3. 355Loma#941#1,296
  4. 345Phylis#880#1,225
  5. 309Eris#728#1,037

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,115,919 boys got a published name in 1925; 1 in 156 of them was named Howard, which outranked 99.5% of the 4,867 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Howard
  1. #23Harry8,610
  2. #24Eugene8,517
  3. #25Ralph8,467
  4. #26Howard7,173
  5. #27Willie7,124
  6. #28Carl7,061
  7. #29Louis6,798
Biggest movers since 1924
Risers
  1. 548Okey#1,532#984
  2. 494Eddy#1,492#998
  3. 422Terrence#1,223#801
  4. 371Hughie#1,355#984
  5. 363Rexford#1,287#924
Fallers
  1. 444Baxter#916#1,360
  2. 429Adelbert#817#1,246
  3. 407Jonnie#925#1,332
  4. 406Faustino#984#1,390
  5. 387Deward#859#1,246

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1925