Howard is the surname of one of England's great noble families and is of uncertain origin, usually explained as coming from the Old Norse Hávarðr, "high guardian", or from an Old French word for a ewe herder. In America it belongs to the millionaire aviator Howard Hughes and to the archaeologist Howard Carter, who found Tutankhamun's tomb. Howard ranked number 664 in the United States in 2000 and has hovered around the top 1000 line for a decade, standing at number 1004 in 2025.