Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1957

Wanda

Meaning a Wend Gender Girl Rank 2025 #6,096 Trend ↑ Rising 32%

Borrowed from Polish Wanda, possibly derived from an ethnic term for “a Wend”.

Rank 2025
#6,096
among girls · ↓958 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
20
named Wanda · -23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 80,363
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1957
7,735 babies
All-time total
282,186
#138 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Wanda popularity over time

282,186 babies have been named Wanda since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 143 – 143 14 – #411
1890s 626 – 626 63 +338% #301
1900s 1,527 – 1,527 153 +144% #211
1910s 10,735 13 10,748 1,075 +604% #128
1920s 36,007 109 36,116 3,612 +236% #61
1930s 43,072 185 43,257 4,326 +20% #47
1940s 50,775 174 50,949 5,095 +18% #52
1950s 72,448 188 72,636 7,264 +43% #52
1960s 47,771 230 48,001 4,800 -34% #66
1970s 13,280 46 13,326 1,333 -72% #132
1980s 2,873 27 2,900 290 -78% #445
1990s 1,095 – 1,095 110 -62% #980
2000s 479 – 479 48 -56% #2,412
2010s 239 – 239 24 -50% #4,727
2020s (to 2025) 144 – 144 24 0% #4,083

Where Wanda is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 21 0.01 outside top 500
2027 22 0.01 outside top 500
2028 22 0.01 outside top 500
2029 23 0.01 outside top 500
2030 23 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Wanda

Wanda is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #6,096 in 2025 with 20 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 282,186 American babies have been named Wanda. Its peak came in 1957, when 7,735 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Wanda stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Wanda?

The median living Wanda is about 69 years old; half are between 62 and 76. An estimated 167 thousand people named Wanda are alive in the United States today.

median 69 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Wanda year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 20 #6,096 – –
2024 26 #5,138 – –
2023 21 #5,943 – –
2022 23 #5,625 – –
2021 36 #4,083 – –
2020 18 #6,618 – –
2019 13 #8,577 – –
2018 20 #6,228 – –
2017 28 #4,915 – –
2016 30 #4,727 – –
2015 25 #5,447 – –
2014 23 #5,785 – –
2013 30 #4,747 – –
2012 28 #5,106 – –
2011 24 #5,719 – –
2010 18 #7,200 – –
2009 43 #3,734 – –
2008 38 #4,171 – –
2007 30 #4,939 – –
2006 30 #4,805 – –
2005 49 #3,208 – –
2004 36 #3,985 – –
2003 69 #2,412 – –
2002 64 #2,495 – –
2001 57 #2,662 – –
2000 63 #2,455 – –
1995 91 #1,639 – –
1990 191 #980 – –
1985 234 #741 – –
1980 481 #445 – –
1975 1,057 #230 – –
1970 2,718 #132 8 #3,826
1965 4,654 #81 15 #2,173
1960 6,674 #66 25 #1,657
1955 7,415 #61 11 #2,551
1950 6,929 #52 17 #1,877
1945 4,295 #58 17 #1,692
1940 4,708 #52 25 #1,366
1935 4,102 #49 17 #1,752
1930 4,524 #56 15 #2,076
1925 3,803 #72 8 #3,396
1920 2,198 #117 – –
1915 1,233 #154 – –
1910 308 #211 – –
1905 125 #300 – –
1900 94 #345 – –
1895 62 #356 – –
1890 37 #424 – –
1885 12 #656 – –
1880 11 #545 – –

Famous people named Wanda

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Wanda Sykes Wanda Sykes American comedian and actress (born 1962) b. 1964 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Wanda Jackson Wanda Jackson American singer, songwriter, and musician (born 1937) Contemporary
  3. 3 Wanda Rutkiewicz Wanda Rutkiewicz Polish mountain climber (1943–1992) Contemporary
  4. 4 Wanda Landowska Wanda Landowska Polish harpsichordist and pianist (1879–1959) 19th century
  5. 5 Wanda Wasilewska Wanda Wasilewska Polish politician, novelist and journalist (1905–1964) Contemporary
  6. 6 Wanda Panfil Wanda Panfil Polish long-distance runner (born 1959) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Wanda, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Wanda?

The median living Wanda is about 69 years old. Half of all living Wandas are between 62 and 76 years old.

How many people named Wanda are alive today?

An estimated 167 thousand people named Wanda are alive in the United States, based on 282,186 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wanda mean?

Borrowed from Polish Wanda, possibly derived from an ethnic term for “a Wend”.

How popular is the name Wanda in 2025?

Wanda ranked #6,096 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 20 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wanda?

282,186 babies have been named Wanda in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wanda most popular?

Wanda peaked in 1957, when 7,735 newborns received the name.

Is Wanda a boy or girl name?

Wanda is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Wanda rising or falling?

Wanda has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Wanda become more popular?

Wanda is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 23 girls named Wanda in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Wanda?

Well-known people named Wanda include Wanda Sykes (comedian), Wanda Jackson (musician), Wanda Rutkiewicz (mountaineer).

Names like Wanda

Names that sound and feel close to Wanda: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Wanda with similar names → More names starting with W →