Boys' name · since 1880
Howard
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 346,666 babies named Howard, peaking in 1921. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #99 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,002 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 346,666
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Howard is the #1002 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 346,666 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Howard has been recorded 346,666 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1002 nationally and more common than 93% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #99 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,002 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 346,666 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Howard ranks #99 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,002 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 346,666 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #99 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,002 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 346,666
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Howard's 346,666 recorded births place it above 99.78% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Howard compares
346,666 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Howard's all-time total is 939x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Howard | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 346,666 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 7,713 | 34 | 22,252 |
Howard's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Howard splits its recorded history at 1953: 26% of all births land in the more recent half, 74% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2013 (194 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 7,713 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Howard popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 7,713
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Howard popularity over time - girls
1,676 total births recorded since 1887 (Howard as girls' name)
Howard by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (70,348 births, 20% of the file).
1920s was Howard's strongest decade.
70,348 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Howard births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 4,349
1880s
4,349 births
- 1890s 5,949
1890s
5,949 births
- 1900s 8,014
1900s
8,014 births
- 1910s
1910s
46,596 births
- 1920s
1920s
70,348 births
- 1930s
1930s
51,495 births
- 1940s
1940s
53,530 births
- 1950s
1950s
47,852 births
- 1960s
1960s
28,703 births
- 1970s 12,980
1970s
12,980 births
- 1980s 7,052
1980s
7,052 births
- 1990s 3,915
1990s
3,915 births
- 2000s 2,477
2000s
2,477 births
- 2010s 2,111
2010s
2,111 births
- 2020s 1,295
2020s
1,295 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 70,348 births (20% of all-time use).
How Howard compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Howard's total volume
Howard by state
Where Howard concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 37,000 | 10.7% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 24,131 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 18,185 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 17,571 | 5.1% |
| #5 | California | | 14,337 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 13,539 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 12,214 | 3.5% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 11,358 | 3.3% |
37,000 of 346,666 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Howard appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Howard? ▼
Where does Howard sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Howard most popular? ▼
Where is Howard most popular? ▼
How long has the name Howard been used? ▼
What names are similar to Howard? ▼
What to do with Howard's data
- Howard's decade-level peak was the 1920s (70,348 total births); usage has since declined to 1,295 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Howards (37,000 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Howard
Nearby Names Like Howard
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Howard
Compare Howard side by side: Howard vs Howell Howard vs Howie Howard vs Howl
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Howard
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Howard: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Howard draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.