Given name & surname
Howe
“having a bright mind”·“one who is lofty”
In English use, Howe has a related form in Hugh. One German interpretation is “having a bright mind.” Howe is a variant of How. One German interpretation is “one who is lofty.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Howe has a related form in Hugh. One German interpretation is “having a bright mind.” Howe is a variant of How. One German interpretation is “one who is lofty.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Howe has a related form in Hugh. An origin associated with Hugh is Germanic. Howe is a variant of How. An origin associated with How is German.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Probably from Middle English hoʒe (“steep ridge”), from Old English hoh (“hock, heel”), from Old Norse haugr (“hill”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Howe has a related form in Hugh. The history of Hugh gives this family its wider story. Hugh’s historical bearers include members of the aristocracy.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Howe through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 28
- 28 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 8 in 1921. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 109 as a first name in 2020; 39,912 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Howe’s family of names
Howe has a related form in How. In English usage, Howe has a related form in Hugh. In English usage, Howe has a related form in HAUGH.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Howe
- Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of SligoIrish peer and colonial governor (1788-1845)
- Howe GelbAmerican singer-songwriter, musician and record producerborn 1956
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Howe, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Horace
“the keeper of time”
>99% boys
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Hoyt
“a soulful man”
>99% boys
Harden
“from the hare's valley”
>99% boys
Howard
“army guardian” · “the guardian of the home”
>99% boys
Harmon
“a soldier”
91% boys · 9% girls
Herschel
“resembling a deer”
>99% boys
Hilton
“a wealthy woman” · “from the town on the hill”
85% boys · 15% girls