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Ward Family History

Ward Surname Meaning

English: occupational name for a watchman or guard from Middle English ward ‘watchman guard’ (Old English weard used as both an agent noun and an abstract noun). English: occupational name from Middle English warde ‘armed guard’ (Old English weard ‘watching guarding’) with the same meaning as 1 above. Irish: shortened form of McWard an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Bhaird ‘son of the poet’. The surname occurs throughout Ireland where three different branches of the family are known as professional poets. Jewish (American): adoption of the English name (see above) in place of some similar (like-sounding) original Ashkenazic surname such as Warshawski or Warshawsky . Altered form of French Guérin (see Guerin ) and Benoît (see Benoit ).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Bard, Hard, Card, Wand, Gard, Yard, Wald, Seward, Ware, Hand

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Ward family from?

You can see how Ward families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ward family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ward families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 650 Ward families living in New York. This was about 18% of all the recorded Ward's in USA. New York had the highest population of Ward families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ward surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Ward ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Ward. 15% of Ward men worked as a Laborer and 6% of Ward women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ward were Truck Driver and Housewife. .

View Census Data for Ward | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    15%
  • Farmer
    15%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Teacher
    6%
  • Housewife
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Ward family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2 million census records available for the last name Ward. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ward census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Ward

Passenger Lists

There are 239,000 immigration records available for the last name Ward. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 390,000 military records available for the last name Ward. For the veterans among your Ward ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Ward lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Ward life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Ward in 1940 was 29, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ward

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