2000
#4,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.65
Rare Last name
Ard
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a natural hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,523 Americans carry the last name Ard. That puts it at #5,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ard surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,561
Census rank
#5,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,560 bearers of the surname Ard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ard, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ard
The surname "Ard" is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region of Brittany. It is derived from the French word "ard," which means "high" or "elevated." The earliest known records of the surname date back to the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Raoul Ard, a nobleman who lived in the village of Ard near the town of Guingamp in Brittany during the late 12th century. The name is also found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, where it is recorded as "Ard" and "Ardus."
In the 13th century, the surname "Ard" appeared in various records across Brittany, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Redon, a collection of charters and deeds from the Abbey of Redon. One notable individual from this time was Geoffroy Ard, a knight who fought in the Breton War of Succession in the 1340s.
During the 15th century, the surname "Ard" spread to other regions of France, including Normandy and the Île-de-France. One notable figure from this period was Jacques Ard, a merchant from Rouen who was involved in the trade of textiles and spices.
In the 17th century, the surname "Ard" began to appear in English records, likely due to French immigrants settling in England. One such individual was Jean Ard, a Huguenot refugee who fled religious persecution in France and settled in London in the 1680s.
Other notable bearers of the surname include:
1. Marie-Élisabeth Ard (1737-1811), a French artist known for her portraits and still-life paintings.
2. William Ard (1810-1892), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Delaware.
3. Henry Ard (1867-1940), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London.
4. Robert Ard (1917-1995), a French writer and journalist who covered the French Resistance during World War II.
5. Susan Ard (born 1949), an American actress and singer best known for her role in the Broadway musical "The Wiz."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ard
Among Census respondents with the surname Ard, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ard bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 5,275
- Black or African American12.2% · 801
- Two or more races3.6% · 237
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 205
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ard
Ard appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,807
-340 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 584 places
2020
#5,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,560
-247 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,557 | 7,147 | 2.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,141 | 6,807 | 2.31 | -340 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 584 places |
| 2020 | #5,153 | 6,560 | 2.19 | -247 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 12 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ard surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,141 | #5,153 | -0.2% |
| Count | 6,807 | 6,560 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.31 | 2.19 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ard bearers went from 6,807 to 6,560 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,141 to #5,153.
FAQ
Ard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ard?
Name Census estimates that about 7,523 living Americans carry the surname Ard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,561 residents.
How common is Ard?
Ard ranks #5,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,560 people with the surname Ard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,523), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ard.
Has Ard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ard went from 6,807 recorded bearers to 6,560. That is a decrease of 247 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,141 to #5,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Ard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ard, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (5,275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Black (12.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ard (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ard mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a natural hill or mountain. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ard (2.19 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Ard?
You can see how common the surname Ard is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.