Yes, Howard is wonderful! There was a lady on a board I used to frequent with a little Howard (I think he was a III or IV), and I thought it was so cute.
I like Howard Laurie, Howard William, Howard Rex, and Howard Christian. I think Howard can pull off a sexy/hip/modern middle name if it's the right one. The wrong one, like Horatio, sounds goofy and cartoonish. On the flip side, traditional/safe/classic middle names, like William, risk making Howard sound sort of boring. A modern-day Howard should never be boring.