Howie

Howie is an English diminutive of Howard, which derives from the Old Norse elements hávarðr, combining hár (high) or a personal name element with varðr (guardian, warden). The name Howard gained widespread use in medieval England, partly through the prominence of the powerful English Howard family, the Dukes of Norfolk. Howie functions both as a pet form and as an independent given name, and it remains closely tied to Howard as its parent form.