From an English surname that can derive from several different sources: the Anglo-Norman given name Huard, which was from the Germanic name HUGHARD; the Anglo-Scandinavian given name Haward, from the Old Norse name HÁVARÐR; or the Middle English term ewehirde meaning "ewe herder". This is the surname of a British noble family, members of which have held the title Duke of Norfolk from the 15th century to the present. A famous bearer of the given name was the American industrialist Howard Hughes (1905-1976).