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Ward

Ward: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“guard, watchman”
Origin
English
Say it
WARD · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys

From an English surname and given name derived from Old English weard, meaning guard or watchman. It also appears as a shortened form of Edward or Howard.

English namesNames meaning protectorSurname-style namesShort names

How popular is Ward?

202413.2 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Ward in 202444

2024 rank#3,264 boys

Peak year1881

Total US babies since 188015,067

Ward is rising: use over the last five years is 2.2× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Ward

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Edwardwealthy guardian · Old English
  • Eduardowealthy guardian · Spanish
  • Eddywealthy guardian · English
  • Tedwealthy guardian · Old English
  • Nedguardian of wealth · English
  • Edwardowealthy guardian · Germanic
  • Eddwealthy guardian · Old English
  • JackGod is gracious · English

Ward questions

What does the name Ward mean?

Ward means "guard, watchman". It comes from English. From an English surname and given name derived from Old English weard, meaning guard or watchman. It also appears as a shortened form of Edward or Howard.

Is Ward a boy or girl name?

Ward is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ward?

44 US babies were named Ward in 2024. Its peak year was 1881.

How do you pronounce Ward?

Ward is usually pronounced WARD.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.