Total births
15,026
Boys' name · since 1880
Ward
15,026 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.
- #3272
- among boys today
- 15,026
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 77%
- more common than other boys
Ward currently ranks #3272 among boys' names in America, with 15,026 babies recorded since 1880.
Ward has 15,026 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3272 as of the latest data, more common than 77% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #3272 among boys today
- 15,026 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 77% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Ward is currently the #3272 boys' name in America, more common than 77% of boys - 15,026 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #3272
- among boys today
- 15,026
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 77%
- more common than other boys
Ward vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#3272
of 14,294 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.
How Ward compares
15,026 Top 7% higher than 93% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Ward's all-time total is 41x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ward | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,026 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 341 | 23 | 22,252 |
Ward's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ward's full recorded timeline at 1953, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2004, with just 10 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1961 peak of 341 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ward at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1961
Current rank
#3,272
Active since
1880
Ward popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 341
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ward popularity over time - girls
98 total births recorded since 1916 (Ward as girls' name)
Ward by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Ward's strongest decade.
2,510 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Ward births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 294
1880s
294 births
- 1890s 378
1890s
378 births
- 1900s 372
1900s
372 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,775 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,510 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,697 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,762 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,008 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,240 births
- 1970s 689
1970s
689 births
- 1980s 347
1980s
347 births
- 1990s 215
1990s
215 births
- 2000s 159
2000s
159 births
- 2010s 312
2010s
312 births
- 2020s 268
2020s
268 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,510 births (17% of all-time use).
How Ward compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Ward's total volume
Ward vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Ward by state
Where Ward concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,064 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Michigan | | 883 | 5.9% |
| #3 | California | | 859 | 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 15,026 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? ▼
15,026 babies have been named Ward since 1880. It currently ranks #3272 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 (859 births).
How long has the name Ward been used? ▼
Ward has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
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.
What to do with Ward's data
- Ward's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,510 total births); usage has since declined to 268 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Wards (1,064 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ward
Nearby Names Like Ward
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ward
Warren Boy
#263 184,518 births
Warner Boy
#1494 8,554 births
Wardell Boy
4,290 births
Warrick Boy
#4601 782 births
Warden Boy
#8376 360 births
Compare Ward side by side: Ward vs Warren Ward vs Warner Ward vs Wardell
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ward
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Ward: #3272 Boys' Name - 15,026 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/ward. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Ward draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.