Find out how popular the last name Guard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Guard.

Guard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Guard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guard in America

Guard is the 17472nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guard surname appeared 1,613 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Guard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Guard

The surname Guard is of English origin, deriving from the Old French "garde" meaning "watchman" or "guardian". This name was commonly given to those who held occupation as watchmen, sentinels, or guards.

The earliest recorded instances of the Guard surname can be found in medieval records from the 13th century, with references to individuals bearing this name in various parts of England. One notable example is Robert le Garde, who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273.

In some cases, the Guard surname may have originated from place names associated with guarding or fortifications. For example, there are records of individuals with the surname Guard hailing from the village of Guildford in Surrey, which derives its name from the Old English "gylde" meaning "golden" and "ford" meaning "river crossing", possibly referring to a guarded river crossing.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Guard surname continued to appear in various records across England, with variations in spelling such as Garde, Gard, and Guarde. One notable individual from this period was John Guard, a merchant from London who was mentioned in the city's records in 1432.

In the 16th century, the Guard surname gained further prominence with the birth of Sir Thomas Guard (1540-1612), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire. Another notable figure was William Guard (1588-1658), an English churchman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Lewes in Sussex.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Guard surname remained well-established in England, with several individuals of note bearing this name. These included Richard Guard (1620-1695), a prominent merchant and landowner in Essex, and John Guard (1678-1756), a military officer who served in the English Civil War and later became a Member of Parliament for Bury St. Edmunds.

As the centuries progressed, the Guard surname spread to other parts of the English-speaking world, including North America, where it was carried by English settlers and immigrants. Notable individuals with this surname in more recent history include Thomas Guard (1786-1866), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Guard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Guard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Guard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Guard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Guard, please contact us.

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