Ward
What does the name Ward mean?
Ward is a relatively common surname with a number of origins. Most often, it is an occupational English name deriving from the Old English word 'warde' or 'wearde', which means to 'watch' or 'guard'. This name would have been given to a watchman, guard or gatekeeper. Alternately, and far less commonly, there is a topographical origin for the surname Ward that stems from 'werd', meaning 'marsh'. Secondly in Ireland it can derive from 'Mac an Bh�ird' (son of the bard).
The earliest occurrence of the Ward surname in our family history documents is from 1433, and we currently have 3,564,836 records where Ward appears.
Typical jobs for Wards
Hard-working people, the Wards. 3786 worked as labourers, according to the 1901 Census.
Where most Wards lived
In the 1900s, you’d probably bump into a Ward in Yorkshire.
Wards’ criminal history
How do we put this... Not all Wards were angels, apparently. We found 4332 in criminal records.
Wards in World War I
According to the World War I records, 5578 Wards served in the First World War.