Given name & surname · also Old English
Ward
“a guardian”
Ward is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a guardian.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a guardian.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Ward through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 15,124
- 15,026 boys · 98 girls
- Most popular year
- 1961
- 341 babies
- 2025
- 58
- #2,877 for boys · #7,863 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 44 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,877 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 341 in 1961. It also appeared in 14 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,136 as a first name in 2020; 255,767 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ward’s family of names
In Dutch usage, Ward is a diminutive of Edward. In English usage, Ward as a surname shares a linguistic root with the German form Wirt. In Dutch usage, Ward has a conventional naming counterpart in the English form Ed.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ward has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
5 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ward
- Ward CunninghamAmerican computer programmerborn 1949
- Ward BondAmerican actor (1903–1960)
- Ward KimballAmerican animator (1914-2002)
- Ward HortonAmerican actorborn 1976
- Ward MooreAmerican writer (1903–1978)
- Ward CraneAmerican actor (1890–1928)
- Ward Hermanspolitician, writer (1897-1992)
- Ward GoodenoughAmerican anthropologist (1919-2013)
- Ward PétréBelgian speed skaterborn 1997
Characters named Ward: Ward Meachum (comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Ward, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ladd
“a servant; a young man”
>99% boys
Gerard
“one who is mighty with a spear”
>99% boys
Brad
“one who has broad shoulders”
>99% boys
Stafford
“from the landing ford”
>99% boys
Todd
“resembling a fox”
>99% boys
Stuart
“a steward; the keeper of the estate”
>99% boys
Kerry
“having black hair”
71% boys · 29% girls
Wade
“to cross the river ford”
>99% boys