Ward
From an English occupational surname, from the Old English weard, meaning guard or watchman. Surnames of this kind became first names in nineteenth-century America.
Ward in 2025
Ward was given to 58 babies in the United States in 2025 — 44 boys and 14 girls, making it the 5,145th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 57,161 babies born.
The history of Ward
Ward reached its highest point in 1961, when 341 babies were given the name, ranking 947th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 525th, in 1881.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 15,124 babies have been named Ward. Half of them were born before 1943, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Ward by decade
| Decade | Babies named Ward | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 294 | 525 |
| 1890s | 378 | 628 |
| 1900s | 372 | 742 |
| 1910s | 1,780 | 714 |
| 1920s | 2,515 | 689 |
| 1930s | 1,697 | 812 |
| 1940s | 1,762 | 955 |
| 1950s | 2,013 | 1,074 |
| 1960s | 2,240 | 947 |
| 1970s | 689 | 1,662 |
| 1980s | 347 | 3,528 |
| 1990s | 215 | 5,356 |
| 2000s | 159 | 9,331 |
| 2010s | 362 | 5,354 |
| 2020s | 301 | 5,114 |
Where Ward is heading
Ward has risen 49% over the past decade, from 39 babies in 2015 to 58 in 2025.
Names like Ward
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Ward.