Ward Family History

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Ward Name Meaning

English: occupational name for a watchman or guard, from Old English weard ‘guard’ (used as both an agent noun and an abstract noun). Irish: reduced 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. Surname adopted by bearers of the Jewish surname Warshawski, Warshawsky or some other Jewish name bearing some similarity to the English name. Americanized form of French Guerin.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


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

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Ward Family Origin

Where is the Ward family from?

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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 the UK in 1891. In 1891 there were 11,691 Ward families living in Yorkshire. This was about 17% of all the recorded Ward's in the UK. Yorkshire had the highest population of Ward families in 1891.
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.

View Census Data for Ward

Ward Family Occupations

What did your Ward ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the UK named Ward. 3% of Ward men worked as a General Labourer and 51% of Ward women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ward were Farmer and Incapacitated

View Census data for Ward | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations in 1939

  • General Labourer
    3%
  • Builders Labourer
    1%
  • Bricklayer
    1%
  • Farmer
    1%

Top Female Occupations in 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    51%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

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

Ward Historical Records

What Ward family records will you find?

Census Record

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 1891 UK census records for Ward

Passenger List

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 UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Ward immigration records

Draft Card

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.

View all Ward military records

You've only scratched the surface of Ward family history.

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Ward Life Expectancy

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

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Ward ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Ward Family Ancestors

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