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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201962peak #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.

Where Howard is popular in 1962

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #59 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 227 boysAKMaine: #91 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 509 boysMEVermont: #87 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 480 boysVTNew Hampshire: #105 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 679 boysNHWashington: #139 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 826 boysWAIdaho: #121 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 538 boysIDMontana: #133 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 617 boysMTNorth Dakota: #170 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 979 boysNDMinnesota: #181 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 1,620 boysMNIllinois: #129 for boys · 149 births · 1 in 740 boysILWisconsin: #152 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 1,422 boysWIMichigan: #113 for boys · 126 births · 1 in 701 boysMINew York: #69 for boys · 428 births · 1 in 408 boysNYMassachusetts: #101 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 899 boysMARhode Island: #108 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 967 boysRIOregon: #157 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 906 boysORNevada: #129 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 562 boysNVWyoming: #89 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 365 boysWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Howard, so not publishedSDIowa: #181 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 1,454 boysIAIndiana: #132 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 843 boysINOhio: #98 for boys · 184 births · 1 in 573 boysOHPennsylvania: #86 for boys · 213 births · 1 in 521 boysPANew Jersey: #82 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 530 boysNJConnecticut: #67 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 426 boysCTCalifornia: #150 for boys · 232 births · 1 in 806 boysCAUtah: #151 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 754 boysUTColorado: #162 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 938 boysCONebraska: #139 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 898 boysNEMissouri: #132 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 750 boysMOKentucky: #119 for boys · 49 births · 1 in 696 boysKYWest Virginia: #80 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 376 boysWVVirginia: #84 for boys · 107 births · 1 in 404 boysVAMaryland: #63 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 323 boysMDDelaware: #65 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 330 boysDEArizona: #174 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 889 boysAZNew Mexico: #164 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 737 boysNMKansas: #144 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 845 boysKSArkansas: #141 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 699 boysARTennessee: #102 for boys · 77 births · 1 in 503 boysTNNorth Carolina: #98 for boys · 112 births · 1 in 459 boysNCSouth Carolina: #128 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 592 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #105 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 536 boysDCOklahoma: #121 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 574 boysOKLouisiana: #162 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 809 boysLAMississippi: #88 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 407 boysMSAlabama: #106 for boys · 70 births · 1 in 520 boysALGeorgia: #112 for boys · 92 births · 1 in 510 boysGAHawaii: #153 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 630 boysHITexas: #141 for boys · 182 births · 1 in 656 boysTXFlorida: #116 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 553 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Alaska#59 · 1 in 227
  2. Maryland#63 · 1 in 323
  3. Delaware#65 · 1 in 330
  4. Connecticut#67 · 1 in 426
  5. New York#69 · 1 in 408

Best ever in a state: #8 in Wyoming, 1912.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alaska#59141 in 227
Maryland#63981 in 323
Delaware#65151 in 330
Connecticut#67611 in 426
New York#694281 in 408
West Virginia#80471 in 376
New Jersey#821161 in 530
Virginia#841071 in 404
Pennsylvania#862131 in 521
Vermont#8781 in 480
Mississippi#88661 in 407
Wyoming#8991 in 365
Maine#91211 in 509
North Carolina#981121 in 459
Ohio#981841 in 573
Massachusetts#101621 in 899
Tennessee#102771 in 503
District of Columbia#105271 in 536
New Hampshire#10591 in 679
Alabama#106701 in 520
Rhode Island#10891 in 967
Georgia#112921 in 510
Michigan#1131261 in 701
Florida#116981 in 553
Kentucky#119491 in 696
Idaho#121131 in 538
Oklahoma#121411 in 574
South Carolina#128461 in 592
Illinois#1291491 in 740
Nevada#12961 in 562
Indiana#132621 in 843
Missouri#132621 in 750
Montana#133121 in 617
Nebraska#139181 in 898
Washington#139371 in 826
Arkansas#141281 in 699
Texas#1411821 in 656
Kansas#144261 in 845
California#1502321 in 806
Utah#151161 in 754
Wisconsin#152321 in 1,422
Hawaii#153121 in 630
Oregon#157191 in 906
Colorado#162231 in 938
Louisiana#162501 in 809
New Mexico#164181 in 737
North Dakota#17071 in 979
Arizona#174191 in 889
Iowa#181201 in 1,454
Minnesota#181251 in 1,620
South Dakota

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1962

girls
#3,782
12 births · 1 in 163,884 girls
boys
#114
3,277 births · 1 in 631 boys

Top girls' names in 1962

  1. #1Lisa46,069
  2. #2Mary43,502
  3. #3Susan35,752
  4. #4Karen35,184
  5. #5Linda31,461
  6. #6Patricia26,532
  7. #7Donna25,719
  8. #8Cynthia24,025
  9. #9Deborah22,889
  10. #10Sandra22,420
  11. #3,782Howard12

Top boys' names in 1962

  1. #1Michael85,059
  2. #2David81,337
  3. #3John78,427
  4. #4James72,555
  5. #5Robert70,199
  6. #6Mark53,520
  7. #7William44,853
  8. #8Richard39,422
  9. #9Thomas36,529
  10. #10Jeffrey33,537
  11. #114Howard3,277
More about 1962

girls

1,966,603 girls got a published name in 1962; 1 in 163,884 of them was named Howard, which outranked 50.1% of the 7,584 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Howard
  1. #3,592Warren13
  2. #3,592Waverly13
  3. #3,592Zondra13
  4. #3,782Howard12
  5. #3,782Aaron12
  6. #3,782Adrena12
  7. #3,782Alfreida12
  8. #4,011Albertina11
  9. #4,011Aleen11
  10. #4,011Alejandrina11

Tied with 228 names at #3,782; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. 1,281Tiffany#2,070#789
  2. 879Whitney#1,627#748
  3. 541Zina#1,533#992
  4. 414Glynis#1,406#992
  5. 408Lolita#978#570
Fallers
  1. 300Fern#821#1,121
  2. 259Jacklyn#815#1,074
  3. 255Dorthy#929#1,184
  4. 224Laurene#943#1,167
  5. 215Jimmie#911#1,126

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

boys

2,068,772 boys got a published name in 1962; 1 in 631 of them was named Howard, which outranked 97.5% of the 4,631 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 28.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Howard
  1. #111Tracy3,337
  2. #112Eugene3,304
  3. #113Joel3,298
  4. #114Howard3,277
  5. #115Lee3,263
  6. #116Frederick3,257
  7. #117Leonard3,155
Biggest movers since 1961
Risers
  1. 490Ritchie#1,262#772
  2. 353King#1,349#996
  3. 338Arlie#1,322#984
  4. 250Robb#1,052#802
  5. 243Pernell#928#685
Fallers
  1. 351Mariano#928#1,279
  2. 349Michal#910#1,259
  3. 337Loran#958#1,295
  4. 292Sid#967#1,259
  5. 275Lorenza#940#1,215

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

See the top 100 for 1962