Meaning and history
Durward is a Scottish and English name transferred from an occupational surname. It comes through medieval forms meaning “door-ward” or “door keeper,” denoting an official who guarded or managed access to a royal or noble household. The hereditary office of doorward existed in medieval Scotland. Notable bearers include Bahamian sailor Durward Knowles, an Olympic champion, and American actor Durward Kirby. The name’s meaning concerns an occupation rather than personal vigilance as an abstract quality.
19181918: 94 births, rank #634
1919: 99 births, rank #609
1920: 94 births, rank #656
1921: 107 births, rank #612
1922: 95 births, rank #659
19231923: 90 births, rank #677
1924: 77 births, rank #764
1925: 90 births, rank #673
1926: 61 births, rank #845
1927: 66 births, rank #822
19281928: 48 births, rank #993
1929: 65 births, rank #802
1930: no US SSA record for this spelling
1931: 48 births, rank #945
1932: 49 births, rank #928
19331933: 43 births, rank #965
1934: 49 births, rank #900
1935: no US SSA record for this spelling
1936: no US SSA record for this spelling
19371937: 44 births, rank #944
Durward moved from #900 to #944 for boys between 1934 and 1937. Its highest annual birth count came in 1916, with 118 births.