Ward

Ward is an English and Dutch surname turned given name, derived from the Old English word weard, meaning guardian or watchman, which shares roots with the Old High German wart carrying the same sense. It was commonly used as an occupational or descriptive term for someone who kept watch or guarded a place, and its transition into a given name followed the widespread English-speaking custom of adopting family surnames as first names. The name is closely related to the Germanic element -ward found in compound names such as Edward and Howard, as well as the Dutch form Waard.