What is "howard"

proper name, from Old French Huard, from a Germanic source similar to Old High German *Hugihard "heart-brave," or *Hoh-weard, literally "high defender; chief guardian." Also probably in some cases a confusion with cognate Old Norse Haward, and as a surname also with unrelated Hayward. In some rare cases from Old English eowu hierde "ewe herd."

Howard is a popular English given name originating from Old Norse Hávarðr, which means "high guard". A diminutive is "Howie" and its shortened form is "Ward" (most common in the 19th century). Between 1900-1960, Howard ranked in the U.S. Top 200; between 1960–1990, it ranked in the U.S. Top 400; between 1990–2004, it ranked in the U.S. Top 600. People with the given name Howard or its variants include:

Howard is a common name amongst people:

• Howard, given name
• Howard (surname)

Howard may also refer to:

Howard is a common English language surname. Its origins are unclear. One theory is that it derived from the Norman-French personal name "Huard" or "Heward" adapting after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Another theory is that its origin may be pre 7th century Germanic from the personal name "Hughard" (prefix hug, meaning "heart"/"spirit"; suffix hard, meaning "hardy"/"brave"). Yet another theory is that the surname derived from the Anglo-Scandinavian personal name "Haward" (prefix ha, meaning "high"; suffix varthr, meaning "guardian"). The first public record of the surname is dated 1221 in Cambridgeshire. There are several variant surname spellings. People with the surname Howard include:

• Members of the English aristocratic Howard family
• Ada Howard (1829–1907), first president of Wellesley College
• Arliss Howard (born 1954), American actor, writer, director
• Barbara Howard, RCA (1926–2002), Canadian artist and wood-engraver
• Benjamin Howard (Missouri) U.S. military officer
• Benjamin Chew Howard U.S. politician
• Billy Howard (born 1950), American football player
• Bryce Dallas Howard (born 1981), American actress; daughter of Ron Howard and niece of Clint Howard (see below)
• Carlos Howard, Governor of West Florida between 1792 and 93.
• Catherine Howard (between 1520 and 1525–1542), Fifth Wife of Henry VIII of England
• Charles Howard (various)
• Chaunte Howard (born 1984), American high jumper
• Clint Howard (born 1959), American actor; brother of Ron Howard (see below)
• Curly Howard (1903–1952), U.S. actor, member of the Three Stooges
• Curtis W. Howard (1917–1942), United States Navy officer and Navy Cross recipient
• Daniel Edward Howard (1861–1935), president of Liberia
• Desmond Howard (born 1970), American, Heisman Trophy winner and former professional football player
• Dominic Howard (born 1977), English drummer
• Dwight Howard (born 1985), American basketball player
• Ebenezer Howard (1850–1928), British urban planner
• Edgar Howard (1858–1951), American politician
• Edward Lee Howard (1951–2002), former U.S. CIA agent who defected to the Soviet Union in 1985
• Elizabeth Jane Howard (1923–2014), English novelist
• Elston Howard (1929–1980), American baseball player
• Emily Howard (born 1979) British composer and chess player
• Frank Howard (various)
• Frank Ernest Howard, English architect, generally known as F.E. Howard
• George Howard, Australian footballer
• George Howard (various)
• Gorges Edmond Howard (1715–1786) Irish legal and literary writer
• Harvey Howard, British rugby league footballer
• James Howard (various)
• Jane Howard, (1935-1996) Journalist known for her work at Life magazine and a biography of Margaret Mead.
• JJ Howard (born 1972), American author
• John Howard (various)
• Josh Howard (born 1980), American basketball player
• Julia C. Howard, American politician
• Juwan Howard (born 1973), American basketball player
• Kenneth Howard (various)
• Leslie Howard (various)
• Luke Howard (1772–1864), British chemist and meteorologist (the first one proposes the urban heat island effect)
• Madeline Howard (born 1949), American fantasy author
• Mark Howard, (born 1986), English footballer
• Matt Howard (born 1989), American basketball player
• Matt Howard (born 1967), American baseball player
• Michael Howard (formerly Hecht) (born 1941), British Conservative politician
• Michelle J. Howard (born 1960), U.S. Navy Admiral
• Miki Howard (born 1960), American jazz singer
• Milford W. Howard (1862–1937), American politician
• Moe Howard (1897–1975), American actor, member of the Three Stooges
• Oliver O. Howard (1830–1909), General in the U.S. Civil War
• Pat Howard (born 1947), English football defender
• Pat Howard (born 1973), Australia rugby team head coach
• Paul Howard (disambiguation)
• Perry H. Howard (1922–2009), sociologist who specialized in Louisiana politics
• Perry Wilbon Howard (1877–1961), Republican attorney and African American civil rights activist from Mississippi
• Randy Howard (disambiguation)
• Raymond Howard, American politician, Missouri senator
• Red Howard (1900–1973), American football player
• Robert Howard (various)
• Ron Howard (born 1954), American actor and film director
• Ronald Howard (various)
• Russell Howard (born 1980), English comedian
• Ryan Howard (born 1979), American baseball player
• Shawn Michael Howard (born 1969), American actor
• Shemp Howard (1895–1955), American actor, member of the Three Stooges
• Sophie Howard (born 1983), British model
• T. R. M. Howard (1908–1976), Afro American civil rights leader
• Terrence Howard (born 1969), American actor
• Thomas Howard, various
• Tim Howard (born 1979), American soccer goalkeeper
• Traylor Howard (born 1966), American actress
• Trevor Howard, (1913–1987), English actor
• William Alvin Howard (born 1926), American mathematician
• William J. Howard (1799–1862), Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• W. L. "Jack" Howard (1921–1994), Mayor of Monroe, Louisiana; partner of Howard Brothers Discount Stores

Howard (first name and dates unknown) was an English cricketer who played for Kent during the 1740s.

The ''' Howard ''' is a Chesapeake Bay skipjack, built in 1909 at Deep Creek, Virginia. She is a two-sail bateau, or "V"-bottomed deadrise type of centerboard sloop. She has a beam of , a depth of , and a net registered tonnage of 8. She is one of the 35 surviving traditional Chesapeake Bay skipjacks and a member of the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States. She is located at Wenona, Somerset County, Maryland.

She was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Howard is a Capital MetroRail commuter rail station in Austin, Texas. It is located in Northwest Austin at the corner of Howard Lane and MoPac Expressway. Howard Station includes a Park & Ride with 200 spaces.

Howard (a.k.a.; Howard's Landing) was a former Long Island Rail Road station on the Rockaway Beach Branch. Located on marshland along the coast of Jamaica Bay south of the "WD Tower" near Hawtree Creek, it had no fixed address, and was south of what is today 165th Avenue, evidently within Gateways Hamilton Beach Park.

Howard (full name and dates of birth and death unknown) was an English cricketer. Howard's batting style is unknown.

Howard made a single first-class appearance for Norfolk against Yorkshire in 1834 at Hyde Park Ground, Sheffield. In a match which Yorkshire won by a concession, Howard batted in Norfolk's first-innings and was dismissed for a duck after hitting his wicket.