Origin
Ward : 1: 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).2: English: occupational name from Middle English warde ‘armed guard’ (Old English weard ‘watching guarding’) with the same meaning as 1 above.3: 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.4: Jewish (American): adoption of the English name (see above) in place of some similar (like-sounding) original Ashkenazic surname such as Warshawski or Warshawsky.5: Altered form of French Guérin (see Guerin) and Benoît (see Benoit).
Alwardt : North German: from the personal name Adelward composed of the ancient Germanic elements adal ‘noble’ + ward ‘keeper protector’.
Bailward : perhaps for the guardian of a court or bailey from Middle English bail(e) (see Bale) + ward ‘guardian’. However given the absence of any medieval evidence the surname may rather be a variant of Ballard with hypercorrect -w-.
Beilfuss : German: probably from the name of the aromatic plant Beifuss ‘mugwort’ (Artemisia vulgaris) Middle High German bībōz but by the 13th century reinterpreted as bīvōt ‘for the foot’ with reference to the common belief that strapped to the legs the plant would ward off fatigue on a journey. The excrescent -l- is evidence of a further reinterpretation as Beilfuss ‘axe foot’ suggestive of a deformity of the foot such as club foot.
Campleman : according to Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames an altered form of Cappleman perhaps influenced by Camplin and its variant Camplejohn. Compare John Campline 1628 Richard Cappleman 1721 in IGI (Lythe NR Yorks); Robert Cappleman William Campleman 1672 in Hearth Tax (Newbegin ward Hull).
Crayston : probably from Crayston in Shap (Westm) though that name appears later than the first record of the surname.possibly from the 'grey stone' which gave its name to a ward of Carlisle (Cumb) or from some other conspicuous grey stone. Greystoke also in Cumb had original initial C- and the variation between C- and G- may have inversely affected this name.
Ehlert : North German: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements agil ‘point edge (of a sword)’ + hard ‘brave hardy strong’ or ward ‘guard’. Compare Elert and Ellert.
Girouard : French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Ger(o)ward composed of the elements gēr ‘spear lance’ and ward ‘guard’. Compare Gerrior and Giroir.
Grimwood : English (southeastern): from the ancient Germanic personal name Grimward composed of the elements grīm ‘mask helmet’ + ward ‘guard’.
Hadder : 3: German: from the personal name Hadder derived from an ancient Germanic name composed of the elements hadu ‘strife’ + ward ‘guard protector’.1: English: variant of Haddow.2: Scottish: nickname from Scots hadder ‘heather’.
Hansard : English (Lincolnshire): of Norman origin from the Middle English and Old French personal name Ansard with prosthetic H-; from ancient Germanic ans- ‘(pagan) god’ + ward ‘guard protector’ or hard- ‘brave hardy’.
Havard : 1: English and Welsh (Brecknockshire and Glamorgan): habitational name from Haverfordwest (Pembrokeshire) from Old English hæfer ‘goat’ + ford ‘ford’.2: English and Welsh (Brecknockshire and Glamorgan): in some cases the name may also be a variant of Hereford.3: French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Hahward composed of the elements hah which is unexplained and ward ‘guard’.4: French: nickname from a derivative of Frankish haf ‘hook pickaxe’ or of Old French have ‘pale sickly’. Compare Avard.
Hettwer : German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Hathuward composed of the elements hadu ‘strife’ + ward ‘guard protection’.
Ingwersen : North German and Danish: patronymic from the personal name Ingwer from ancient Germanic Ingward composed of the name of the god Ing (see Ingle) + ward ‘guardian’.
Kalman : 1: Hungarian (Kálmán): from the old Hungarian personal name Kálmán meaning ‘remainder’ (from Turkic kal ‘to remain’) hence a protective name which was given to infants to ward off evil and harmful spirits. In medieval times the name became particularly popular because it was confused with the German Christian name Koloman of Irish origin (see Kolman 2).2: Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish personal name Kalmen an everyday form of Kloynemes (from Hebrew Kalonimos which is from Greek kalos ‘lovely’ or kallos ‘beauty’ + onyma ‘name’). This Hebrew name is first recorded in the Talmud and has been used continuously since then. Among Hungarian Jews it was sometimes confused with 1 above.
Kedward : possibly from the ancestor of the dialect word cade ‘fondling pet animal reared by hand’ which is found in the relevant counties + ward ‘guardian’. Compare Cade. However the distribution might suggest an origin in an unidentified Welsh given name in -werth influenced by such names as Edward.
Markwardt : 1: North German: occupational name for a frontier guard or the guardian of a fenced-off area (such as a woodland) Middle Low German markward from mark ‘boundary’ + ward(e) ‘guardian’. In medieval folk stories Markwart occurs as a nickname for a jay; it is possible that this use may have influenced the acquisition of the surname in some cases.2: German: from the personal name Markward(t) composed of the elements mark ‘boundary’ + ward ‘guardian’. Compare Marquardt.
Panetta : Italian:: 1: nickname from a diminutive of pane ‘bread’ perhaps for a baker.2: habitational name from Panetta in Ciociaria or Panetta Inferiore a ward of Villa Latina in Frosinone province.
Pantazis : Greek: from the personal name Pantazis meaning ‘may you live for ever’ from panta ‘always’ + zis ‘may you live’ (an inflected form of the verb zein ‘to live’) a protective name given to ward off infant mortality. Or a shortened form of any of various patronymics derived from this name e.g. Pantazopoulos. Compare Pantages.
Polimeni : Italian (mainly Calabria): patronymic or plural form of the personal name Polimeno from medieval Greek polimenos a variant of poulimenos ‘sold’ (classical Greek pōlēmenos). This may have denoted someone who had been sold into slavery as a child or been given as an omen or well-wishing name intended to ward off such a fate.
Record : 1: English: from the Middle English personal name Richeward Rikeward (Old French Ricoart ancient Germanic Ricward from rīc ‘power(ful) realm’ + ward ‘protector’).2: English: occasionally perhaps a variant of the Middle English personal name Richold Rikold used of both men and women. The male name is Old French in two different dialect forms of ancient Germanic Ricoald Ricold Richold (from rīc ‘power(ful)’ + wald ‘rule ruler’) and the female name is an Old French form of ancient Germanic Richold a variant of Richild (where the second element is hild ‘battle’).3: Altered form of French Ricard reflecting the characteristic Canadian and American French rounding of the -ard ending.4: In some cases possibly also southern French: from Old French record recort ‘recollection account testimony’ and by extension ‘witness’ hence perhaps a nickname for someone who had given evidence in a court of law or a metonymic occupational name for a clerk who recorded court proceedings.
Rewerts : East Frisian: patronymic from a shortened form of the ancient Germanic personal name Reinwarth composed of the elements ragin ‘counsel’ + ward ‘guard’.
Roorda : West Frisian and Dutch (mainly Groningen): patronymic from a personal name Roord a compound of the ancient Germanic elements hrōd ‘fame renown’ + ward ‘guard ward’.
Wardhaugh : from a lost or unidentified place in NE England or SE Scotland. Where Scottish the place-name is from Scots ward waird ‘an enclosed piece of land chiefly for pasture’ or possibly from wardland referring to land held in ward i.e. held of a superior by military service; the second element is haugh ‘water-meadow low land by water’. In N England the first element might instead be ward ‘watch watching’ usually found in hill-names.
Wardman : English (Yorkshire): occupational name from Middle English wardman either in the general sense ‘watchman guard’ (compare Ward) or in the administrative sense ‘representative of a ward within a borough’.
Wartell : Altered form of French (mainly Nord) Wartelle: from the ancient Germanic personal name Wartilo a pet form of any of various names beginning with the element ward ‘guard’.
Waterworth : English (Lancashire and Yorkshire): occupational name from Middle English water ‘water’ + ward ‘guard’ probably for an officer in charge of an area of water. All the early examples occur on the banks of Martin Mere a large freshwater lake (now drained) in western Lancashire.
Wellwood : Scottish (Fife):: 1: probably a habitational name from an unidentified place evidently named with Older Scots well ‘well’ + wuid ‘wood’.2: perhaps an occupational name from Middle English wel(le) + ward ‘keeper’ denoting a local official with responsibility for looking after a well.
Xuan : Chinese:: 1: Mandarin form of the surname 宣: (i) from Xuan (宣) posthumous title of King Xuan of Zhou (reigned 827–782 BC) one of the kings of the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). (ii) from Xuan (宣) posthumous title of the Duke Xuan of Song (the 13th ruler of the state of Song reigned 747–729 BC). (iii) from Xuan Bo (宣伯 'Earl Xuan') posthumous title of Shusun Qiaoru an official in the state of Lu (located mainly in present-day Shandong province) during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). In ancient Chinese 宣 denoted the grand hall of an imperial palace; it was also used to refer to imperial edicts and to an very rare and valuable kind of jade. (Jade is regarded in Chinese culture as an auspicious material that can bring good luck and ward off evil.) These meanings might explain why this Chinese character was sometimes used as a posthumous title by members of royal families.2: Mandarin form of the surname 禤: possibly traced back to Xuan Chunwang (禤纯旺) an official in the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 AD).This surname is found mainly in Guangdong Guangxi and Hong Kong.3: Mandarin form of the surname 玄 meaning ‘mysterious’ in Chinese: (i) said to be traced back to Xuan Xiao (玄霄) son of the legendary emperor Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC). (ii) said to be traced back to Xuan Shou (玄壽) an official during the reign of the legendary emperor Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC). (iii) a Korean surname.4: Mandarin form of the surname 軒 probably derived from the first element of Xuan Yuan (軒轅) personal name of the legendary emperor Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC).
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
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