Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Waverly

Meaning meadow filled with quivering aspens Gender Unisex · 70% girls Rank 2025 #1,028 Trend ↓ Falling 11%

Waverly is a given name, a transferred use of a surname and place name that likely meant “meadow filled with quivering aspens”.

Rank 2025
#1,028
among girls · ↓122 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
244
named Waverly · -18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,587
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2021
387 babies
All-time total
6,550
#2,730 all-time among girls
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Waverly popularity over time

6,550 babies have been named Waverly since 1881, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – 29 29 3 – –
1890s – 47 47 5 +62% –
1900s – 53 53 5 +13% –
1910s 12 174 186 19 +251% #4,183
1920s 20 310 330 33 +77% #3,552
1930s 38 235 273 27 -17% #3,556
1940s 51 265 316 32 +16% #3,875
1950s 66 307 373 37 +18% #3,101
1960s 50 201 251 25 -33% #3,780
1970s 41 123 164 16 -35% #7,965
1980s 22 90 112 11 -32% #10,251
1990s 244 65 309 31 +176% #2,484
2000s 390 24 414 41 +34% #2,778
2010s 1,650 48 1,698 170 +310% #811
2020s (to 2025) 1,979 16 1,995 333 +96% #736

Where Waverly 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 241 0.15 outside top 500
2027 238 0.15 outside top 500
2028 235 0.15 outside top 500
2029 233 0.15 outside top 500
2030 232 0.14 outside top 500

Where Waverly is most popular

Girls named Waverly per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.198 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Waverly born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Mississippi 45 0.962 +386%
West Virginia 19 0.725 +266%
Kentucky 53 0.620 +213%
Tennessee 77 0.486 +145%
Virginia 80 0.469 +137%
Missouri 55 0.456 +130%
Montana 6 0.443 +124%
Oklahoma 28 0.380 +92%
Iowa 22 0.377 +90%
Minnesota 40 0.371 +87%
Indiana 50 0.356 +80%
North Carolina 81 0.356 +80%
South Dakota 5 0.350 +77%
Kansas 20 0.347 +75%
Colorado 37 0.331 +67%
Alabama 30 0.320 +61%
Ohio 63 0.266 +34%
Washington 37 0.256 +29%
South Carolina 23 0.256 +29%
Maryland 27 0.255 +29%
Michigan 45 0.247 +25%
Arkansas 12 0.227 +15%
Oregon 14 0.215 +9%
Florida 84 0.196 ≈ national
Wisconsin 20 0.194 ≈ national
Georgia 42 0.185 -7%
Pennsylvania 40 0.169 -15%
New York 56 0.141 -29%
Texas 111 0.138 -30%
New Jersey 24 0.133 -33%
Illinois 29 0.127 -36%
California 94 0.112 -44%
Utah 7 0.084 -58%
Massachusetts 10 0.083 -58%
Alaska – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Waverly

Waverly is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,028 in 2025 with 244 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 6,550 American babies have been named Waverly, about 70% girls and 30% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 387 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Waverly stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Waverly?

The median living Waverly is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 24. An estimated 5,400 people named Waverly are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Waverly 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 244 #1,028 – –
2024 293 #906 5 #14,155
2023 305 #882 – –
2022 384 #753 – –
2021 381 #749 6 #12,062
2020 372 #736 5 #13,941
2019 337 #811 6 #12,057
2018 269 #984 5 #13,985
2017 255 #1,019 9 #8,793
2016 225 #1,131 5 #14,087
2015 121 #1,741 6 #12,016
2014 133 #1,623 – –
2013 109 #1,865 5 #13,962
2012 76 #2,447 – –
2011 69 #2,612 7 #10,724
2010 56 #3,043 5 #14,151
2009 65 #2,778 – –
2008 51 #3,315 5 #14,511
2007 40 #3,977 – –
2006 40 #3,850 – –
2005 38 #3,870 – –
2004 27 #4,948 – –
2003 38 #3,725 6 #10,838
2002 30 #4,277 – –
2001 33 #3,936 7 #9,196
2000 28 #4,394 6 #10,300
1995 52 #2,484 6 #8,827
1990 6 #12,914 11 #4,984
1985 – – 10 #4,322
1980 – – 16 #2,959
1975 7 #7,965 10 #3,654
1970 5 #9,331 19 #2,121
1965 – – 12 #2,470
1960 7 #5,686 29 #1,522
1955 6 #5,814 27 #1,502
1950 7 #4,726 34 #1,255
1945 – – 27 #1,295
1940 – – 17 #1,733
1935 – – 22 #1,489
1930 – – 24 #1,531
1925 6 #4,953 27 #1,448
1920 5 #5,735 25 #1,541
1915 – – 20 #1,598
1910 – – 8 #1,307
1905 – – 10 #835
1900 – – 13 #735
1895 – – 9 #792
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Waverly?

The median living Waverly is about 8 years old. Half of all living Waverlys are between 4 and 24 years old.

How many people named Waverly are alive today?

An estimated 5,400 people named Waverly are alive in the United States, based on 6,550 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Waverly mean?

Waverly is a given name, a transferred use of a surname and place name that likely meant “meadow filled with quivering aspens”.

How popular is the name Waverly in 2025?

Waverly ranked #1,028 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 244 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Waverly?

6,550 babies have been named Waverly in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Waverly most popular?

Waverly peaked in 2021, when 387 newborns received the name.

Is Waverly a boy or girl name?

Waverly is used for both: about 70% of babies named Waverly have been girls and 30% boys.

Is the name Waverly rising or falling?

Waverly is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Waverly become more popular?

Waverly looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 232 girls named Waverly in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Waverly

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

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