Howards

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Plural form of Howard, a surname and first name of English origin borne by many different people
2. Several people who share the English surname or forename Howard, often used for families or groups of that name
3. Multiple individuals bearing the name Howard, a common English surname and personal name derived from Old Norse

Etymology: "Howards" is the plural of "Howard", a personal name, so it refers to several people who share it. The name itself comes from Old Norse "Hávarðr", built from "hár" meaning "high" and "varðr" meaning "guard", giving something like "high guardian". It reached England as a medieval personal name, and by the Middle English period it was in use as "Howard" and "Howarde". In some cases the name is a variant of "Heward", which in turn traces back to the Old French "Huard", so the surname has more than one route into English. The two sources have merged over time, which is why the name can appear in different spellings across records.