Ward 1

Ward is not just an English given name that ultimately comes from a surname of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is also a Dutch given name, in which case it is a short form of given names that contain the Germanic element 'wart' meaning "guard, guardian", such as Eduard. In rare cases, it can also be a contraction of names like Wernard.

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Note: the name is more common as an informal name than as an official name on birth certificates. You can see this when you compare the statistics for Eduard and Ward at https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/english, which only records names that are listed on birth certificates.

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- https://www.behindthename.com/element/wart (in English)
- https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Ward (in Dutch; shows the prevalence of the name in the Netherlands in 2014)
- http://www.names.be/jongensnamen.html?met=Ward&sort=beldesc (in Dutch; shows the prevalence of the name in Belgium in 2009)
- (general): https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/?first=Ward&last=&search=Zoeken
• https://be.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Ward/+/be-0-Belgi%C3%AB (lists only bearers living in Belgium)
• https://nl.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Ward/+/nl-0-Nederland (lists only bearers living in the Netherlands)
- Eduard "Ward" Beysen (1941-2005), a Flemish politician: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Beysen (in English)
- Eduard "Ward" Schroeven (1913-2001), a Flemish athlete: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Schroeven (in Dutch)
- Edward "Ward" De Ravet (1924-2013), a Flemish actor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_de_Ravet (in English)
- Edward "Ward" Sels (b. 1941), a Flemish racing cyclist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Sels (in English)
- Cornelius Eduardus "Ward" Hermans (1897-1992), a Flemish politician and poet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ward_Hermans (in English)
- https://nos.nl/artikel/2327656-verdriet-om-bezoekverbod-dementie-is-al-verschrikkelijk-en-dan-dit-erbij.html (in Dutch; the man named Ward in this article from March 2020 has a 72-year old father named Wernard, so it's possible that he was named after his father but goes by Ward in daily life)

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The feminine equivalent is Warda (from names like Eduarda), which has also seen some use in the Nordic countries (primarily in Sweden).

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- https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Warda (in Dutch; shows the prevalence of the name in the Netherlands in 2014)
- http://www.names.be/meisjesnamen.html?met=Warda&sort=beldesc (in Dutch; shows the prevalence of the name in Belgium in 2009)
- https://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Warda_f (in English)
- (general): https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/?first=Warda&last=&search=Zoeken
• https://be.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Warda/+/be-0-Belgi%C3%AB (lists only bearers living in Belgium)
• https://nl.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Warda/+/nl-0-Nederland (lists only bearers living in the Netherlands) [noted -ed]

Ward is a nickname for the name Howard.

Short form of Edward?