Howard Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Howard Name Meaning: The Old English meaning of the name is "noble watchman".

While the origins for the surname \"Howard\" are unclear, there are a few theroeis as from where it came from. One is that is derived from the Norman-French name \"Huard\" or \"Heward\", whilst another is that it derives from the Old Germanic \"Hughard\" (meaning \"brave-hearted\"). Another theory is that is comes from the Anglo-Scandanavian name \"Haward\" (meaning \"guardian\").

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Howard Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Howard family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 5,768
Agricultural Labourer 607
General Labourer 322
Labourer 289
Dress Maker 287
Domestic Servant 277
Cotton Weaver 259
General Servant 194
Laundress 167
Coal Miner 165
Farm Labourer 160
Annuitant 143
House Keeper 139
Carpenter 125
General Servant Domestic 110
Charwoman 101
Butcher 79
Tailor 77
Bricklayer 72
Joiner 72
Gardener 69
Servant 69
Errand Boy 62
Shoe Maker 62
No Occupation 61

Howard Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Howard 100% 215,705
2 Haward 83% 9,033
3 Heward 83% 7,633
4 Heaward 71% 112
5 Howerd 83% 109
6 Haword 67% 106

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The surname Howard is the most popular version of all its varients

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