The first name Ward
A boy’s name meaning “son of the poet”.
Pronounced /wɔɹd/ 1 syllable Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Ward means “son of the poet”.
* As an English surname, from the noun ward and related cognates such as warden, guard etc. * As an Irish surname, reduced from McWard, from mac an bard (“son of the poet”). * As a Jewish surname, adapted from Warshawski, named after Warsaw. Comparable to Warszawski. * As a French surname, Americanized from Guerin.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 3 girls were named Ward, making it the 5,927th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2022, with 5 births (#3,970).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Ward with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Ward at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 44 boys born in the United States were named Ward, the 2,877th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1961, when 341 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Ward
22 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Ward BondAmerican actor (1903–1960)
- Pendleton WardAmerican animator, born 1982
- Ward KimballAmerican animator (1914-2002)
- Ward HortonAmerican actor, born 1976
- Ward MooreAmerican writer (1903–1978)
- Ward CraneAmerican actor (1890–1928)
- Ward GoodenoughAmerican anthropologist (1919-2013)
- Robert Ward JohnsonAmerican politician (1814-1879)
- Ward PétréBelgian speed skater, born 1997
- Henry Ward RangerAmerican artist (1858-1916)
- Ward SwingleAmerican jazz singer (1927–2015)
- Ward GreeneAmerican novelist, journalist and comic strip writer, 1892–1956
Questions
- What does the name Ward mean?
- Ward means “son of the poet”.
- How popular is the name Ward?
- In 2025, 3 girls born in England and Wales were named Ward, ranking 5,927th. Its peak was 2022, with 5 births.
- Is Ward a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 15,124 US babies named Ward since 1880 were boys.
- When was Ward most popular?
- 1961 in the United States, when 341 babies were named Ward, its highest rank at 432nd.
- How do you pronounce Ward?
- Ward is /wɔɹd/, one syllable.
- Is Ward also a surname?
- Yes. Ward is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.