Show ContentsWarde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Warde

What does the name Warde mean?

Most scholars seem to agree that the Warde surname derives from the name of a town or village. The name can be traced to a town by the name of Wartenburg located in Konigsberg, in the former German kingdom of Prussia. There are also other place names from which this surname may have arisen, such as the village of Wardenburg in the district of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. The components of this place name are "warten," meaning "to guard," and "burg," referring to a "fortress, castle or town." This type of name was often bestowed upon someone who had moved away from his place of origin, and in his new community may have been known as "one from Warde".

Early Origins of the Warde family

The surname Warde was first found in the Northern regions of present day Germany, where bearers of the Warde name became noted for their status and influence. In their later history the name became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family.

Early History of the Warde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Warde research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1754, 1759, 1797, 1805, 1806, 1814, 1816 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Warde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Warde Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wardemann, Warde, Wardenburg, Wardenberg, Wardenphul, Wartenberg, Warttenberg, Wartenburg, Wattenberg, Wattenburg, Watenberg, Watenberg, Warttenburg, Wartennburg, Wartenburgs, Wartennberg, Wartenbergs, Wartenberrg, Wartenbergg, Wortenberg, Wortenburg, Wortenbury and many more.

Early Notables of the Warde family

Friedrich Wilhelm Karl König von Württemberg (1754-1816), who succeeded to the title of Herzog von Württemberg (styled as Reigning Duke of Württemberg) in 1797, gained the title of Friedrich I König von Württemberg in 1805, and was crowned King of Württemberg on 1 January 1806; as...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Warde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Warde migration to the United States +



Warde Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Anne Warde, (Wadd), aged 15, who arrived in New England in 1637 aboard the ship "John & Dorothy"
  • William Warde, who landed in Virginia in 1664 1
  • Mathew Warde, aged 35, who arrived in Maryland in 1672 1
  • John Warde, who landed in Maryland in 1673 1
  • Christiana Warde, who landed in Maryland in 1674 1
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Warde migration to Canada +

Warde Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Warde, aged 40, a pensioner, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" from Galway, Ireland
  • Mary Warde, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" from Galway, Ireland

Warde migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Warde Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Margaret Warde, (b. 1847), aged 19, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "John Temperley" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st June 1866 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Warde (post 1700) +

  • Shirley Warde (1901-1991), American actress and playwright who starred in theater productions throughout the 1910s
  • Harlan Warde (1917-1980), born Harlan Ward Lufkin, American character actor active in television and movies
  • Frederic Warde (1894-1939), American book designer, editor, and typography designer
  • Ernest C. Warde (1874-1923), English actor and director who worked in American silent film
  • Beatrice Lamberton Warde (1900-1969), née Becker, American writer and scholar of typography, marketing manager for the British Monotype Corporation, "one of the few women typographers in the world"
  • Anthony Warde (1909-1975), born Benjamin Schwartz, an American actor who appeared in over 150 movies from 1937 to 1964
  • Terrence Warde (b. 1989), West Indian cricketer from Saint Kitts
  • Edward Coughlan Warde (1862-1925), Australian politician elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1900
  • Cardinal Warde (b. 1945), Professor of Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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