Ward is one of the few Irish surnames that names a profession. In Irish it is Mac an Bhaird, "son of the bard," the surname of a hereditary family of poets who served the O'Kellys of Galway and the O'Donnells of Donegal for centuries. See the full range in our Ward Irish family gifts collection, or read on for the family's story.
Quick answer: The Irish Ward is Mac an Bhaird, "son of the bard." The family began in Galway, in the parish of Ballymacward, as poets to the O'Kellys of Uí Mhaine, and a second branch at Lettermacaward in Donegal became poets to the O'Donnells of Tír Chonaill. The English surname Ward, meaning a guard, is a separate name.
Where Does the Ward Name Come From?
In Gaelic Ireland, poetry was a profession. Poets trained for years in bardic schools, learning strict meters, genealogy and history, and the craft passed from father to son within a small number of learned families. A lord's poet praised his victories, recorded his lineage and could wound him with satire, so the post carried real standing. Mac an Bhaird means "son of the bard," and the family held that role for generation after generation.
In English the name was written MacWard, MacAward and, most often, Ward. The English surname Ward, from Old English weard, "guard," is unrelated, although the two spellings now sit side by side in Ireland, Scotland and the diaspora.
Who Were the Mac an Bhaird Poets?
The oldest branch of the family was in Galway, in the territory of Uí Mhaine, where the Mac an Bhaird served as hereditary poets to the O'Kellys. The parish of Ballymacward, "the townland of Mac an Bhaird," still carries their name.
By the fifteenth century the most prolific branch had settled in Tír Chonaill, around Lettermacaward in west Donegal and Ballymacaward in the barony of Tirhugh. There they served the O'Donnells, the lords of Tír Chonaill, and some of the finest poetry in the Irish language came from their pens. The family also composed for the O'Reillys of Breifne.
Which Mac an Bhaird Poets Are Remembered Today?
Eoghan Ruadh Mac an Bhaird was chief poet to the O'Donnells in the age of Red Hugh O'Donnell. After the Flight of the Earls in 1607 he wrote laments for the exiled lords that are counted among the finest elegies in Irish.
Fearghal Óg Mac an Bhaird was one of the leading court poets of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, composing for patrons across Ulster and beyond.
Aodh Buidhe Mac an Bhaird, known in English as Hugh Ward (c. 1593–1635), was born at Ballymacaward in Donegal and became a Franciscan and guardian of St Anthony's College in Louvain. He launched the great project to collect the lives of the Irish saints and sent Mícheál Ó Cléirigh home to Ireland to gather manuscripts, the same Ó Cléirigh who later led the compilers of the Annals of the Four Masters.
What Happened to the Bardic Families?
The bardic order depended on Gaelic lords to pay for it. After the Flight of the Earls in 1607 and the Plantation of Ulster, the O'Donnell patronage that had supported the Donegal poets was gone, and the bardic schools declined through the seventeenth century. The family stayed on the land, and the Wards kept their name in the places their ancestors had written for.
Where Is the Ward Name Found Today?
In Ireland, Ward is most common in Donegal and Galway and the counties around them. Famine emigration carried the name to Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia, where Irish Wards joined the larger English Ward population.
How Do I Research Ward Ancestry?
- Civil records: search births, marriages and deaths from 1864 on IrishGenealogy.ie.
- Census: the 1901 and 1911 returns for Donegal and Galway are free through the National Archives of Ireland.
- Place names: logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland, explains Ballymacward, Lettermacaward and other Ward place names.
- Land records: Griffith's Valuation and the Tithe Applotment Books place Ward households parish by parish before civil registration.
- Spellings: search Ward, MacWard, McAward and Macaward.
Related Irish Family Names
The Mac an Bhaird belonged to a small circle of great learned families. Compare the Daly (Ó Dálaigh) and Higgin (Ó hUiginn) poets, and the O'Donnells of Tír Chonaill whom the Donegal Wards served.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Ward Name
Is Ward an Irish surname?
Yes. In Ireland Ward is the Gaelic Mac an Bhaird, a learned family of Donegal and Galway.
What does Ward mean?
The Irish name means "son of the bard." The English surname Ward, meaning a guard or watchman, is a separate name.
Where in Ireland are Wards from?
County Galway, around Ballymacward, and County Donegal, around Lettermacaward and Ballymacaward.
Is there a Ward family crest?
Yes. Our Ward family crest designs place the Ward shield on the Irish National Tartan across woven blankets, mugs, garden flags and ornaments.
Descendants of Ireland's poet families can browse the Ward family gift collection, featuring crest blankets, mugs and keepsakes inspired by the Mac an Bhaird story.