Given name & surname
Warden
“a guardian”
Warden is a variant of Ward. One English interpretation is “a guardian.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Warden is a variant of Ward. One English interpretation is “a guardian.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Warden is a variant of Ward. An origin associated with Ward is Old English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Warden is a variant of Ward. The history of Ward gives this family its wider story. Ward’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Warden through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 360
- 360 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 16 babies
- 2025
- 11
- #7,649 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +54%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,649 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 16 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 229 as a first name in 2020; 10,866 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.
Warden’s family of names
Warden has a related form in Ward. In German usage, Warden as a surname has a related form in WERDER.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Warden, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Harden
“from the hare's valley”
>99% boys
Walton
“from the walled town; from the stream town”
>99% boys
Warren
“from the fortress; from the enclosure” · “a gamekeeper”
99% boys · 1% girls
Warner
“of the defending army”
98% boys · 2% girls
Weldon
“from the hill near a spring”
>99% boys
Wilton
“from the town on the river”
>99% boys
Elden
“an old friend”
>99% boys
Rueben
>99% boys