Last name: HOWARD

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All you have to know about the last name HOWARD

Last name frequency

HOWARD : This last name is indexed 1,064,200 times on Geneanet!

Origin of last name

HOWARD : 1: English: of Norman origin from the Middle English personal names Huward (also Howard) and Heward from Old French Huard (itself from ancient Germanic Hugihard hugi- ‘mind understanding spirit’ + hard- ‘hardy bold’). As Hugh appears in Middle English as both How and Hew this is the definite origin of Heward and a source of Howard. This surname is also very common among African Americans. See Hugh.2: English: from the Middle English personal name Haward or Howard usually an Anglicized form of Old Danish Hāwarth (Old Norse Hávarthr from há ‘high’ + varthr ‘guard guardian warden’). Alternation between Haward and Howard may have led to later confusion with Hayward.3: English: occasionally a variant of Ewart 2.4: Irish: variant of Fogarty from Ó hÓghairt a shortened form of Ó hÓgartaigh a name derived from a lenited form of Ó Fógartaigh.5: Irish: variant of Ivers from Ó hÍomhair which was also Anglicized as O'Hure and Hever. Compare McIver.

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