Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard from a Germanic source similar to Old High German *Hugihard "heart-brave", or *Hoh-ward, literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probably in some cases a confusion with the Old Norse cognate Haward (Hávarðr), which means "high guard", and as a surname also with the unrelated Hayward. In some rare cases it is from the Old English eowu hierde "ewe herd". In Anglo-Norman the French digram -ou- was often rendered as -ow- such as tour → tower, flour → flower, etc.. A diminutive is "Howie" and its shortened form is "Ward". Between 1900 and 1960, Howard has ranked in the U.S. Top 200; between 1960 and 1990, it ranked in the U.S. Top 400; between 1990 and 2004, it ranked in the U.S. Top 600. People with the given name Howard or its variants include:
Alistair is a male given name. It is an anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic Alasdair. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman French Alexandre or Latin Alexander, which was incorporated into English in the same form as Alexander. The deepest etymology is the Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (man-repeller): ἀλέξω (repel) + ἀνήρ (man), "the one who repels men", a warrior name. Another, not nearly so common, Anglicization of Alasdair is Allaster.
Blair is a Scots-English-language name of Scottish Gaelic origin.
Neil is a masculine name of Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion". As a surname, Neil is traced back to Niall of the Nine Hostages who was an Irish king and eponymous ancestor of the Uí Néill and MacNeil kindred. Most authorities cite the meaning of Neil in the context of a surname as meaning "champion".
Trevor is a common given name or surname of Welsh origin. It is an habitational name, deriving from the Welsh tre(f), meaning "homestead", or "settlement" and fawr, meaning "large, big". The Cornish language equivalent is Trevorrow and is most associated with Ludgvan.
Brian is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name יוֹחָנָן and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename Iain. This name is a popular name in Scotland, where it originated, as well as in other English-speaking countries.
Gavin is a Celtic male given name. It is the Scottish variation of the medieval Welsh name Gawain, meaning "God send" or "white hawk". Sir Gawain was a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an epic poem connected with King Arthur's Round Table. Gawain beheads the Green Knight who promptly replaces his head and threatens Gawain an identical fate the same time next year. Decapitation figures elsewhere: the Italian name Gavino is the name of an early Christian martyr who was beheaded in 300 AD, his head being thrown in the Mediterranean Sea only later reunited and interred with his body.
Shaun is an Anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternative spellings include Shawn, Sean, and Shawne.
Keith is a given name of Gaelic origin. It means "wood" or "from the battleground" and shares the same derivation as Clan Keith. The surname derives from a toponym, Keith Marischal in East Lothian, possibly containing the Brittonic element cet "woods, forest." Keith was the 298th most common name given to newborn boys in the United States in 2007.
Ryan is an English-language given name of Irish origin. Traditionally a male name, it has been used increasingly for both boys and girls since the 1970s. It comes from the Irish surname Ryan, which in turn comes from the Old Irish name Rían. Popular modern sources typically suggest that the name means "Little king", but the original meaning is unknown. According to John Ryan, Professor of Early and Medieval History at University College Dublin, "Rian, like Niall, seems to be so ancient that its meaning was lost before records began."
Sharpe is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Robbie or Robby is most often a given name. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. The name is also a surname, though less often.
Colin is an English-language masculine given name. It has two distinct origins:
- A diminutive form of "Colle", itself an Old French short form of the name Nicolas (Nicholas). This name, but not the anglicized Gaelic name, is also found in the spelling Collin. This name is formed by the Old French diminutive -in also found in Robin.
- An anglicisation of the Irish given name Coileán or the Scottish Gaelic name Cailean, which both come from the Old Irish word cuilén "pup, cub". The Scottish Gaelic name is recorded in the spelling Colin from as early as the 14th century. MacCailean was a patronymic used by Clan Campbell, after Cailean Mór.
Sweeney is a surname that is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Suibhne meaning "son of Suibhne". The Gaelic personal name Suibhne was originally a byname meaning "pleasant" or "well-disposed" and is associated with Clan Sweeney.
Craig is a Scottish, Irish and Welsh masculine given name, all variations derive from the same Celtic branch. The name has two origins. In some cases it can originate from a nickname, derived from the Scottish Gaelic word creag, meaning "rock," similar to Peter. In other cases, the given name originates from the Scottish surname Craig, which is also derived from the same Scottish Gaelic word. Cognate forms of creag include the Irish creig, Manx creg, and Welsh craig. The English word "crag" also shares an origin with these Celtic words. The given name Craig is popular in Scotland, and is used throughout the English speaking world.
Stuart is a surname which was also adopted as a given name, traditionally for men. It is the French form of the Scottish surname Stewart. The French form of the name was brought to Scotland from France by Mary Stuart, in the 16th century.
Gordon is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Scottish surname Gordon. It is uncertain if this surname originated from a place name in Scotland or in France. The Gordon in Berwickshire, where the family who bore the surname held lands in the 12th century, is of uncertain etymology. It is also possible that this place name was named after settlers from France, who were named after a like-named place in Normandy. The surname is thought to have been taken up as a given name in honour of the Major-General Charles George Gordon, a British army officer who was killed in 1885, in Khartoum.
Aidan or Aiden are anglicised versions of the Irish male given name Aodhán. Phonetic variants such as Aiden have become more common. The Irish language female equivalent is Aodhnait.
Leslie is a surname and given name, derived from the name of Clan Leslie. The name may also be spelled Lesley. The name derives from a placename in Aberdeenshire, perhaps an anglicisation of an originally Gaelic leas celyn "holly-garden". Leslie is also frequently used as an anglicization of the male name Ladislaus, or its variant László. In this context, the name is derived from Slavic elements, with 'vladeti' meaning 'rule' and 'slava' meaning 'glory'. In the United Kingdom, the name is spelled Leslie when given to boys, while for girls it is usually rendered as Lesley.
