The Warden surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,135 people carried this name — #3,244 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 26,500 people counted. That is up 2% from 10,970 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Warden surname

A surname originating as an occupation for a warden.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Warden» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a name of office: ‘the warden’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: William de Wardon, Oxfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 793 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Warden was found among the farmers of Warwickshire: 32 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Warwickshire 32

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Warden was recorded 11 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1788th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 15. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

39 families named Warden, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 205 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Vermont 8
Massachusetts 7
Pennsylvania 7
Virginia 7
North Carolina 3
New Hampshire 2
Connecticut 2
New York 1
Maryland 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 267 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Warden in American newspapers,
1922–1927.

Newspaper page from The Bozeman Courier carrying the name Warden
The Bozeman Courier 1927-10-14
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Warden
Great Falls Tribune 1922-12-28
Newspaper page from The Browning Review carrying the name Warden
The Browning Review 1923-09-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,673 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Warden in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

66,201 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Warden. The most, 11,551, date from the 1890s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 24,505
Victoria 20,788
Queensland 9,623
Western Australia 4,693
Tasmania 2,994
South Australia 2,972
ACT (Canberra) 463
Northern Territory 141

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Warden.

Who carried it

People named Warden,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ellen Elmira Warden d. 1911
  • John Warden 1501–1628 · politician
  • Henry Warden 1645–1672
  • Susanna Warden 1664–1692
  • James Warden 1736–1792
  • Hugh Warden 1745– · apprentice

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Warden,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,059 records

1,059 records of the Warden name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 383
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 205
  • Other U.S. records 471
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William K. Warden

    Born 1924 in Missouri. Enlisted 1943 at Jefferson Barracks; statistical clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary A. Warden

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 28; servant. From Liverpool, England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard John Warden

    Born 1949; from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. U.S. Army, utility/observation helicopter pilot; killed in action 1970 in An Xugen, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,059 records for Warden in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia531 records

531 records of the Warden name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 316
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 77
  • Other Australian records 138
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hugh Warden

    Died 1898 in New Norfolk, Tasmania, aged 52. Will registered in Tasmania in 1899.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Amy Frances Warden

    Born 1874 in Port Sorell, Tasmania. Married 1897 in Ulverstone, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record David Warden

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Baring, arriving 1819; certificate of freedom 1824.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 531 records for Warden in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada83 records

83 records of the Warden name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 43
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 13
  • Other Canadian records 27
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jos Warden

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Nyanza, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Yvonne Rhoda Warden

    Buried in 1969 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 33.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Edward Warden

    Died 1960 in Bridgewater, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 83 records for Warden in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom31 records

31 records of the Warden name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 11
  • Other British records 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janet Craig Warden

    Died 2001, aged 52; buried at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sam Warden

    Buried in 1807 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 38.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Herbert Warden

    Died 1917. Named in the National Bank of Scotland Limited roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Warden in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Germany21 records

21 records of the Warden name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Warden

    From Düsseldorf. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 5 December 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Josef Warden

    From Bergheim. Reported wounded in the Imperial Navy casualty list of 20 August 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 21 records for Warden in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand17 records

17 records of the Warden name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 14
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joyce Margaret Warden

    Died 1983, aged 63; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Dawn Avis Warden

    Died 1998, aged 59; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record D. Warden

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Warden in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands6 records

6 records of the Warden name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 3
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Johanna Warden

    In the population register of Montfoort; domestic servant, born 1826 in Montfoort.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Midden-Holland (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jannitije Warden

    Married in 1725 in Woerden; born in Warden.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Warden in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France5 records

5 records of the Warden name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Fred Warden

    Born 1924 in Paris; died 1987 in L'Aigle (Orne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charlotte Elisabeth Warden

    Born 1900 in Paris; died 1984 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Warden in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Norway5 records

5 records of the Warden name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Jørgine Warden

    Census of 1910: Myklegaardgate, Kristiania; born 1869 in Tune Greaaker.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Helmer Warden

    Census of 1910: Nymansgate, Stavanger; born 1885 in Avelsnæss.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Warden in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the Warden name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bridgid Warden

    Died 1862, aged 70; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Warden

    Died 1862, aged 79; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Warden.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Warden is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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