Howard Hughes
There are approximately 105 people named Howard Hughes living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 3,264,327 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Howard with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Hughes. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
105
1 in 3,264,327
Named Howard
131K
Alive today
Named Hughes
275K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 131K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1921
Average age: 67
Estimated bearers: 275K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #90
Per 100K: 80.10
Top ancestry: White (78.4%)
First name trend
Howard: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Howard. The peak year was 1921 with 7,749 births. The average person named Howard today is 67 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Hughes surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Hughes, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 78.4%.
- White78.4%
- Black or African American16.1%
- Hispanic or Latino2.5%
- Two or more races2.0%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Howard has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0381% of the US population, based on 130,588 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Hughes appears at a rate of 80.10 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0801%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 105 people with the full name Howard Hughes. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Howard
Related
Other people with the surname Hughes
FAQ
Howard Hughes: questions and answers
How many people are named Howard Hughes?
We estimate approximately 105 people in the United States share the full name Howard Hughes. That works out to about 1 in 3,264,327 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0381%) with the surname frequency (80.10 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Howard Hughes?
We classify Howard Hughes as "Very Rare". About 1 in 3,264,327 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Howard a male or female name?
Howard is predominantly male. Out of 348,120 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full Howard profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.