I actually love this name. Many think it sounds like an old man name; I believe one should name children under the consideration that they will, in fact, be adults eventually. It sounds very masculine and handsome in my opinion. One can go as Howie as a child and grow into Howard.
It's very unattractive, and it rhymes with coward.
― Anonymous User 1/21/2020
-7
It might be a little bit too dorky and old fashioned sounding for a person, but I think it would be a perfect name for a hippo. Or for that matter, a Shar Pei. (Since they look a lot like hippos).
I once encountered a humor book that contained a series of names and the characteristics the author imagined were associated with a collection of names. Both Howard and Howie were included. Howard was a 42 year old married accountant with two children and a basset hound. In contrast, Howie was 16 and leader of the high school pep squad. Though I was born a Howard and have remained one for 66 years, I can't say that I've ever liked the name, particularly in childhood when its rhyme with coward was especially unfortunate. Odd that so few of us ever change the name that was imposed upon us at birth.
I had a pastor with the last name Howard, and he was a very good man, so the name seems quite wholesome to me (it was on the top 20 list for wholesome names).