James Ward may refer to:

• James Ward (Medal of Honor, 1864) (c. 1833–?), American Civil War sailor
• James Ward (Medal of Honor, 1890) (1854–1901), American Indian Wars soldier
• James Allen Ward (1919–1941), New Zealand pilot and Victoria Cross recipient
• James H. Ward (1806–1861), American Civil War commander
• James R. Ward (1921–1941), U.S. Navy sailor who was awarded the Medal of Honor

• James Ward (frontiersman) (1763–1846), member of Kentucky House of Representatives and Senate
• James G. Ward (born 1942), American politician in Florida
• James Hugh Ward (1853–1916), U.S. Representative from Illinois
• James Kewley Ward (1819–1910), Canadian lumber merchant and politician
• Jim Ward (Kansas politician) (born 1957), Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives

• James Ward (football manager) (born 1972), football manager with Albion Rovers
• Jimmy Ward (footballer, born 1865) (1865–1941), part-time footballer
• Jimmy Ward (footballer, born 1929) (1929–1985), Scottish footballer
• Jim Ward (American football coach) (1948–2001), American football coach
• Jim Ward (American football coach, born 1957) (born 1957), American football coach
• Jim Ward (quarterback) (born 1944), American football player
• Jamie Ward (born 1986), English footballer
• Jimmie Ward (born 1991), American football player

• James Ward (cricketer) (born 1974), New Zealand cricketer
• Jimmy Ward (ice hockey) (1906–1990), Canadian ice-hockey player
• James Ward (tennis) (born 1987), British tennis player
• Jim Ward (baseball) (1855–1886), Major League Baseball player, 1876
• Jim Ward (sprinter) (born 1946), American sprinter, 1966 All-American for the Stanford Cardinal track and field team

• James Ward (English artist) (1769–1859), English painter and engraver
• James Ward (Irish artist) (1851–1924), Irish artist
• James Ward (writer) (born 1981), English writer, founder of Boring Conference
• James Harvey Ward (born 1978), American actor
• James M. Ward (1951–2024), American game designer and fantasy author
• Jim Ward (body piercer) (born 1941), pioneer in body piercing when he opened The Gauntlet in 1975
• Jim Ward (musician) (born 1976), American rock musician
• Jim Ward (voice actor) (born 1959), American voice actor who co-hosts The Stephanie Miller Show
• Jimmy Ward (banjo player) (1909–1987), Irish traditional banjo player

• James Ward (judge) (born 1935), California judge
• James Ward (psychologist) (1843–1925), psychologist and philosopher
• James Ward (priest) (1690–1736), Anglican priest in Ireland
• James A. Ward (1813–1891), American Catholic priest and Jesuit
• James Clifton Ward (1843–1880), English geologist
• James J. Ward (1886–1923), Danish-born American aviator
• James Patrick Ward (d. 1962), New Zealand lawyer, victim of the Ward bomb killing
• James Thomas Ward (1820–1897), president of the Wesley Theological Seminary, 1886–1897