Ward stems directly from the Old English word ‘weard’, which means ‘one who watches or guards something’. This could be a relatively lowly social position, as in the name de Wardrobe (a variety of chamberlain or room-servant), or a position of comparative power, such as the ward of a castle or an entire estate. In this case the position could often last for many years when, for example, the Lord Mayor of London went off on a Crusade; then the official would be a nobleman in all but name.

To this day the word ward still retains its ancient meaning of guard, guardian or watchman. Someone (usually a minor) who is considered to be in need of protection can still be made a ‘ward of court’.

When names described a characteristic or the occupation of the holder, they frequently retained the French ‘le’ (or sometimes ‘la’) which was inserted between the Christian name and the surname. Thus we find the names Robert le Rouge (Robert the red in face, or red-haired) and William le Ward. Nowadays the French article has almost entirely vanished, but in earlier times it would often come and go almost at whim. In the records for 1317 we come across one Robert Ward, who was also known on occasion as Robert le Ward, Robert la Ward, and even Robert de la Ward. A wardroper looked after the King’s wardrobe, i.e. his stock of robes, ceremonial apparel etc.

There are many variations on the original Ward, denoting particular occupations. Thus Woodward was originally somebody who guarded a wood, Millward guarded a mill, and Hayward guarded enclosed fields from straying cattle. Other guardians which come into the same category as the Wards are Bridgeman (often in the Frenchified form of Ponter), plain Guard (or Garth), Watchman, Wakeman, or Yeoman.

The name Ward is often found in Scotland and Ireland, sometimes in the form McWard. Here the derivation is different from the English version. The root word in this case is the Gaelic ‘bhard’, which means ‘bard, poet or minstrel’. So the Gaelic original would have been a travelling songster.

From earliest times the name Ward was both frequent and widespread. One John Warde is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1194, while in the Hundred Rolls for 1273 there is a William le Warde in Oxford, a Simon le Ward in Buckinghamshire, and two further le Wardes, one in Hampshire and one in Cambridgeshire.

The creator of one of fiction’s most endearing popular villains, the sinister Chinese criminal genius Dr Fu Manchu, was British-born writer Arthur Sarsfield Ward (1883—1959) who wrote under the pseudonym Sax Rohmer.

Winston Churchill’s wartime codename was Colonel Warden. This probably stemmed from the fact that he had been made a Warden of the Cinque Ports.

Pioneering British philosopher/psychologist James Ward (1843—1925) has been labelled the first functional psychol­ogist because of his emphasis on activity of the self. His celebrated article ‘Psychology’ (1886) appeared in the 9th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Vanity Fair caricaturist Leslie Ward, using the pseudonym ‘Spy’, skewered many a notable with his acid-tipped pen in a 40-year career beginning in 1873. Reproductions of his prints sold in the thousands. In 1918 the Establishment honoured this brilliant iconoclast with a knighthood.

Ward-related places and geographic features are common. In the United Kingdom alone 12 towns ranging from Ward Green to Wardy Mill are namesakes. Canada has 3 such towns as does the United States, while South Africa has one named Warden. New Zealand has a town named Ward as well as a Ward mountain and a Ward Island. Bodies of water named for Ward are rare. Canada has a Ward river and South Africa a Warden’s Vlei lake.

With about 135,000 namesakes Ward is the 36th most popular surname in England and Wales. (The name is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) Ward is notably popular in and around Sheffield where an estimated one in about 240 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Leicester, Leeds and Nottingham are other Ward strongholds. Around the world Wards are most common in Sydney (one in 720 families), Wellington (one in 843) and Brisbane (one in 973). The United States has more Wards than the entire population of Plymouth-an estimated total of just under 270,000 makes this their 63rd most popular surname.