Ward
Ward is given to both girls and boys: 14 girls and 44 boys were given it in 2025 (#7,861 among girls’ names and #2,876 among boys’, #5,144 among all names counting both); 15,124 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 6,070 Americans named Ward and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (40% of everyone recorded); the median is 63 years old and half are between 50 and 72.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Ward by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Ward mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Ward is “an English male given name.”
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.
/wɔɹd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Ward?
#2,876 among boys’ names, 2025
Ward rose from #3,976 in 2015 to #2,876 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 14.1 to 25.8 per million.
341 babies in 1961, the peak
Ward peaked in 1961, when 341 boys were given it, #432 among boys’ names. The 58 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 17% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 44 | #2,876 | 0.03 |
| 2024 | 36 | #3,327 | 0.02 |
| 2023 | 43 | #2,944 | 0.03 |
| 2022 | 54 | #2,558 | 0.03 |
| 2021 | 44 | #2,858 | 0.03 |
| 2020 | 47 | #2,686 | 0.03 |
| 2019 | 33 | #3,486 | 0.02 |
| 2018 | 40 | #2,989 | 0.02 |
| 2017 | 44 | #2,794 | 0.02 |
| 2016 | 48 | #2,621 | 0.03 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 27 | #3,976 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 30 | #3,610 | 0.02 |
| 2013 | 30 | #3,573 | 0.02 |
| 2012 | 25 | #4,125 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 17 | #5,412 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 18 | #5,234 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 11 | #7,658 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 20 | #4,888 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 12 | #7,054 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 19 | #4,847 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 23 | #4,050 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 10 | #7,499 | 0.01 |
| 2003 | 17 | #4,805 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,376 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 17 | #4,657 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 16 | #4,768 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 19 | #3,975 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 23 | #3,383 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 20 | #3,590 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 21 | #3,394 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 17 | #3,836 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 15 | #4,276 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 23 | #3,031 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 24 | #2,902 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 20 | #3,213 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 33 | #2,208 | 0.02 |
| 1989 | 28 | #2,407 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 28 | #2,247 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 32 | #1,969 | 0.02 |
| 1986 | 35 | #1,788 | 0.02 |
| 1985 | 34 | #1,791 | 0.02 |
| 1984 | 29 | #1,930 | 0.02 |
| 1983 | 41 | #1,513 | 0.02 |
| 1982 | 43 | #1,485 | 0.02 |
| 1981 | 32 | #1,808 | 0.02 |
| 1980 | 45 | #1,431 | 0.03 |
| 1979 | 35 | #1,669 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 43 | #1,433 | 0.03 |
| 1977 | 56 | #1,186 | 0.03 |
| 1976 | 66 | #1,027 | 0.04 |
| 1975 | 49 | #1,226 | 0.03 |
| 1974 | 61 | #1,063 | 0.04 |
| 1973 | 62 | #1,036 | 0.04 |
| 1972 | 94 | #835 | 0.06 |
| 1971 | 94 | #845 | 0.05 |
| 1970 | 129 | #726 | 0.07 |
| 1969 | 131 | #693 | 0.07 |
| 1968 | 141 | #640 | 0.08 |
| 1967 | 183 | #551 | 0.10 |
| 1966 | 200 | #543 | 0.11 |
| 1965 | 172 | #583 | 0.09 |
| 1964 | 244 | #504 | 0.12 |
| 1963 | 282 | #472 | 0.14 |
| 1962 | 263 | #489 | 0.13 |
| 1961 | 341 | #432 | 0.16 |
| 1960 | 283 | #472 | 0.13 |
| 1959 | 253 | #492 | 0.12 |
| 1958 | 246 | #494 | 0.12 |
| 1957 | 169 | #591 | 0.08 |
| 1956 | 193 | #544 | 0.09 |
| 1955 | 197 | #520 | 0.10 |
| 1954 | 196 | #521 | 0.10 |
| 1953 | 207 | #488 | 0.10 |
| 1952 | 180 | #520 | 0.09 |
| 1951 | 200 | #478 | 0.11 |
| 1950 | 167 | #517 | 0.09 |
| 1949 | 183 | #491 | 0.10 |
| 1948 | 204 | #467 | 0.12 |
| 1947 | 218 | #454 | 0.12 |
| 1946 | 219 | #432 | 0.13 |
| 1945 | 155 | #483 | 0.12 |
| 1944 | 167 | #471 | 0.12 |
| 1943 | 177 | #468 | 0.12 |
| 1942 | 158 | #491 | 0.11 |
| 1941 | 139 | #495 | 0.11 |
| 1940 | 142 | #486 | 0.12 |
| 1939 | 154 | #465 | 0.14 |
| 1938 | 175 | #435 | 0.16 |
| 1937 | 149 | #457 | 0.14 |
| 1936 | 140 | #476 | 0.13 |
| 1935 | 157 | #455 | 0.15 |
| 1934 | 187 | #404 | 0.18 |
| 1933 | 164 | #431 | 0.17 |
| 1932 | 169 | #431 | 0.16 |
| 1931 | 179 | #423 | 0.17 |
| 1930 | 223 | #380 | 0.20 |
| 1929 | 192 | #427 | 0.18 |
| 1928 | 183 | #442 | 0.17 |
| 1927 | 230 | #394 | 0.20 |
| 1926 | 220 | #404 | 0.20 |
| 1925 | 256 | #372 | 0.23 |
| 1924 | 276 | #358 | 0.24 |
| 1923 | 271 | #361 | 0.25 |
| 1922 | 323 | #320 | 0.30 |
| 1921 | 273 | #366 | 0.25 |
| 1920 | 286 | #347 | 0.27 |
| 1919 | 243 | #371 | 0.25 |
| 1918 | 258 | #364 | 0.25 |
| 1917 | 242 | #359 | 0.26 |
| 1916 | 211 | #380 | 0.24 |
| 1915 | 237 | #348 | 0.28 |
| 1914 | 193 | #330 | 0.29 |
| 1913 | 150 | #334 | 0.29 |
| 1912 | 114 | #362 | 0.27 |
| 1911 | 77 | #307 | 0.34 |
| 1910 | 50 | #364 | 0.26 |
| 1909 | 40 | #386 | 0.24 |
| 1908 | 42 | #354 | 0.27 |
| 1907 | 32 | #404 | 0.22 |
| 1906 | 34 | #362 | 0.26 |
| 1905 | 31 | #382 | 0.23 |
| 1904 | 39 | #321 | 0.30 |
| 1903 | 40 | #299 | 0.34 |
| 1902 | 46 | #281 | 0.38 |
| 1901 | 25 | #382 | 0.23 |
| 1900 | 43 | #328 | 0.29 |
| 1899 | 48 | #243 | 0.45 |
| 1898 | 28 | #375 | 0.23 |
| 1897 | 28 | #359 | 0.25 |
| 1896 | 41 | #289 | 0.34 |
| 1895 | 48 | #260 | 0.41 |
| 1894 | 31 | #321 | 0.27 |
| 1893 | 30 | #322 | 0.27 |
| 1892 | 50 | #252 | 0.41 |
| 1891 | 37 | #268 | 0.37 |
| 1890 | 37 | #288 | 0.33 |
| 1889 | 32 | #311 | 0.29 |
| 1888 | 29 | #347 | 0.24 |
| 1887 | 23 | #351 | 0.23 |
| 1886 | 25 | #346 | 0.23 |
| 1885 | 23 | #378 | 0.21 |
| 1884 | 38 | #283 | 0.33 |
| 1883 | 27 | #323 | 0.26 |
| 1882 | 30 | #316 | 0.26 |
| 1881 | 37 | #261 | 0.37 |
| 1880 | 30 | #313 | 0.27 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Ward a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Ward has been given almost only to boys: 98 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Ward: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Ward, and how old are they?
6,070 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 40% of the 15,124 Americans ever recorded as Ward. The median Ward alive today is 63 years old; half are between 50 and 72.
The 2020 Census counted 7,136 people named Ward (184 women and girls, 6,952 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 6,740 born in the U.S. The Census count is 6% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 556 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 2,860 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,350 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 431 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 276 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 599 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Ward born?
The states with the most babies named Ward are New York, Michigan and California, with 32% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 1,064 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 883 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| California | 859 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 664 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 658 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 574 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Minnesota | 401 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Iowa | 333 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Texas | 329 | not ranked | 0.4× |
| Washington | 294 | not ranked | 1.5× |
Where Ward is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Ward is most over-represented in Michigan: since 1910 it was given 1.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Ward with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Ward
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Ward and names like it
- Compare Ward and ErnestBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1960sWard peaked in 1961.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Ward since 1910.
- The top names of 1961The year the most babies were named Ward.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Ward alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with WMost given first.