US rank #3264 Boys' name Peak 1961 14,983 births

Ward — #3264 US boys' name

14,983 babies named Ward in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1961. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2941890s3781900s3721910s17751920s25101930s16971940s17621950s20091960s22401970s6891980s3471990s2152000s1592010s3122020s224
#3264
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 77% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

17% of everyone ever named Ward was born in this single decade.

1961
Single peak year

341 babies were named Ward in 1961 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Ward

The Social Security Administration has registered 14,983 babies named Ward between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Ward currently holds the #3264 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1961, when 341 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Ward performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 2,510 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Ward shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 1,064 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Michigan and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Ward in 40 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Ward in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 14,983 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Ward at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

14,983

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1961

341 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#3,264

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Ward popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1961)
341
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1000100200300400 202420051986196719481929191018911880 30

Ward popularity over time — girls

84 total births recorded since 1916 (Ward as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 84 births
468101214 20242023202220192018201720162015195719281916 5

Ward by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
2,510 births that decade — 17% of Ward's all-time total
1880s2941890s3781900s3721910s17751920s25101930s16971940s17621950s20091960s22401970s6891980s3471990s2152000s1592010s3122020s224

Ward by state

Where Ward concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ward
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
1,064 7.1%
#2 Michigan
883 5.9%
#3 California
860 5.7%
#4 Pennsylvania
664 4.4%
#5 Illinois
658 4.4%
#6 Ohio
574 3.8%
#7 Minnesota
401 2.7%
#8 Iowa
333 2.2%
New York share of Ward's total US births 7.1%
Even split

1,064 of 14,983 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.

Ward appears in 40 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ward?
14,983 babies have been named Ward since 1880. It currently ranks #3264 among boys. The peak year was 1961 with 341 births.
When was Ward most popular?
Ward was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,510 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Ward most popular?
The top states for the name Ward are New York (1,064 births), Michigan (883 births), California (860 births).
How long has the name Ward been used?
Ward has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Ward?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Warren, Warner, Wardell, Warrick, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Ward

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.