Wanda
Wanda was given to 20 girls in 2025, #6,095 among girls’ names; 282,186 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 155,000 Americans named Wanda and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (55% of everyone recorded); the median is 70 years old and half are between 63 and 77.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Wanda by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Wanda mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Wanda is “a female given name from Polish.” Its etymology gives the sense “a Wend” (for).
Borrowed from Polish Wanda, possibly derived from an ethnic term for “a Wend”.
/ˈwɑndə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Wanda?
#6,095 among girls’ names, 2025
Wanda fell from #5,445 in 2015 to #6,095 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 14.0 to 12.4 per million.
7,735 babies in 1957, the peak
Wanda peaked in 1957, when 7,735 babies were given it (7,713 girls, #59 among girls’ names). The 20 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | #6,095 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 26 | #5,135 | 0.02 |
| 2023 | 21 | #5,938 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 23 | #5,622 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 36 | #4,080 | 0.02 |
| 2020 | 18 | #6,614 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 13 | #8,572 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 20 | #6,224 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 28 | #4,913 | 0.02 |
| 2016 | 30 | #4,726 | 0.02 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 25 | #5,445 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 23 | #5,783 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 30 | #4,745 | 0.02 |
| 2012 | 28 | #5,104 | 0.02 |
| 2011 | 24 | #5,716 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 18 | #7,197 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 43 | #3,733 | 0.02 |
| 2008 | 38 | #4,170 | 0.02 |
| 2007 | 30 | #4,937 | 0.02 |
| 2006 | 30 | #4,804 | 0.02 |
| 2005 | 49 | #3,204 | 0.03 |
| 2004 | 36 | #3,981 | 0.02 |
| 2003 | 69 | #2,409 | 0.04 |
| 2002 | 64 | #2,492 | 0.04 |
| 2001 | 57 | #2,658 | 0.03 |
| 2000 | 63 | #2,451 | 0.03 |
| 1999 | 79 | #1,994 | 0.04 |
| 1998 | 72 | #2,062 | 0.04 |
| 1997 | 59 | #2,303 | 0.03 |
| 1996 | 79 | #1,861 | 0.05 |
| 1995 | 91 | #1,635 | 0.05 |
| 1994 | 97 | #1,578 | 0.05 |
| 1993 | 133 | #1,281 | 0.07 |
| 1992 | 122 | #1,366 | 0.07 |
| 1991 | 172 | #1,057 | 0.09 |
| 1990 | 191 | #978 | 0.10 |
| 1989 | 179 | #973 | 0.10 |
| 1988 | 175 | #956 | 0.10 |
| 1987 | 218 | #804 | 0.13 |
| 1986 | 182 | #899 | 0.11 |
| 1985 | 234 | #741 | 0.14 |
| 1984 | 293 | #612 | 0.17 |
| 1983 | 319 | #569 | 0.19 |
| 1982 | 335 | #553 | 0.20 |
| 1981 | 457 | #465 | 0.27 |
| 1980 | 481 | #445 | 0.29 |
| 1979 | 576 | #384 | 0.36 |
| 1978 | 588 | #361 | 0.38 |
| 1977 | 729 | #322 | 0.48 |
| 1976 | 855 | #272 | 0.58 |
| 1975 | 1,057 | #230 | 0.73 |
| 1974 | 1,206 | #208 | 0.82 |
| 1973 | 1,411 | #187 | 1.0 |
| 1972 | 1,775 | #166 | 1.2 |
| 1971 | 2,365 | #137 | 1.4 |
| 1970 | 2,718 | #132 | 1.6 |
| 1969 | 2,684 | #126 | 1.6 |
| 1968 | 2,963 | #115 | 1.8 |
| 1967 | 3,473 | #100 | 2.1 |
| 1966 | 4,093 | #84 | 2.4 |
| 1965 | 4,654 | #81 | 2.6 |
| 1964 | 5,164 | #81 | 2.7 |
| 1963 | 5,596 | #76 | 2.9 |
| 1962 | 6,003 | #77 | 3.1 |
| 1961 | 6,467 | #70 | 3.2 |
| 1960 | 6,674 | #66 | 3.3 |
| 1959 | 6,907 | #65 | 3.4 |
| 1958 | 6,891 | #66 | 3.4 |
| 1957 | 7,713 | #59 | 3.8 |
| 1956 | 7,546 | #61 | 3.8 |
| 1955 | 7,415 | #61 | 3.8 |
| 1954 | 7,447 | #58 | 3.8 |
| 1953 | 7,203 | #57 | 3.8 |
| 1952 | 7,164 | #54 | 3.9 |
| 1951 | 7,233 | #52 | 4.0 |
| 1950 | 6,929 | #52 | 4.0 |
| 1949 | 6,307 | #56 | 3.7 |
| 1948 | 5,918 | #57 | 3.5 |
| 1947 | 5,649 | #66 | 3.2 |
| 1946 | 5,235 | #59 | 3.3 |
| 1945 | 4,295 | #58 | 3.3 |
| 1944 | 4,431 | #58 | 3.3 |
| 1943 | 4,705 | #56 | 3.4 |
| 1942 | 4,792 | #54 | 3.5 |
| 1941 | 4,735 | #53 | 3.9 |
| 1940 | 4,708 | #52 | 4.1 |
| 1939 | 4,557 | #50 | 4.2 |
| 1938 | 4,513 | #49 | 4.1 |
| 1937 | 4,202 | #55 | 3.9 |
| 1936 | 3,882 | #56 | 3.7 |
| 1935 | 4,102 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1934 | 4,368 | #47 | 4.2 |
| 1933 | 4,268 | #48 | 4.2 |
| 1932 | 4,261 | #52 | 4.0 |
| 1931 | 4,395 | #54 | 4.1 |
| 1930 | 4,524 | #56 | 4.0 |
| 1929 | 4,397 | #61 | 3.9 |
| 1928 | 4,318 | #63 | 3.7 |
| 1927 | 4,302 | #66 | 3.6 |
| 1926 | 4,125 | #66 | 3.5 |
| 1925 | 3,803 | #72 | 3.1 |
| 1924 | 3,735 | #74 | 3.0 |
| 1923 | 3,405 | #80 | 2.8 |
| 1922 | 2,986 | #92 | 2.5 |
| 1921 | 2,738 | #101 | 2.2 |
| 1920 | 2,198 | #117 | 1.8 |
| 1919 | 1,824 | #128 | 1.6 |
| 1918 | 1,827 | #128 | 1.6 |
| 1917 | 1,545 | #140 | 1.4 |
| 1916 | 1,505 | #138 | 1.4 |
| 1915 | 1,233 | #154 | 1.3 |
| 1914 | 881 | #164 | 1.2 |
| 1913 | 687 | #168 | 1.1 |
| 1912 | 545 | #181 | 1.0 |
| 1911 | 380 | #189 | 0.91 |
| 1910 | 308 | #211 | 0.78 |
| 1909 | 272 | #211 | 0.78 |
| 1908 | 226 | #227 | 0.68 |
| 1907 | 200 | #235 | 0.63 |
| 1906 | 173 | #248 | 0.59 |
| 1905 | 125 | #300 | 0.43 |
| 1904 | 116 | #302 | 0.42 |
| 1903 | 134 | #265 | 0.51 |
| 1902 | 106 | #308 | 0.40 |
| 1901 | 81 | #341 | 0.34 |
| 1900 | 94 | #345 | 0.31 |
| 1899 | 85 | #326 | 0.36 |
| 1898 | 106 | #301 | 0.41 |
| 1897 | 83 | #319 | 0.35 |
| 1896 | 58 | #376 | 0.24 |
| 1895 | 62 | #356 | 0.27 |
| 1894 | 52 | #394 | 0.23 |
| 1893 | 59 | #352 | 0.28 |
| 1892 | 37 | #452 | 0.17 |
| 1891 | 47 | #364 | 0.25 |
| 1890 | 37 | #424 | 0.19 |
| 1889 | 25 | #514 | 0.14 |
| 1888 | 22 | #547 | 0.12 |
| 1887 | 29 | #411 | 0.20 |
| 1886 | 12 | #690 | 0.08 |
| 1885 | 12 | #656 | 0.09 |
| 1884 | 11 | #681 | 0.09 |
| 1883 | 5 | #1,048 | 0.04 |
| 1882 | 10 | #633 | 0.09 |
| 1881 | 6 | #825 | 0.07 |
| 1880 | 11 | #545 | 0.12 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Wanda a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Wanda has been given almost only to girls: 972 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Wanda: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Wanda, and how old are they?
155,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 55% of the 282,186 Americans ever recorded as Wanda. The median Wanda alive today is 70 years old; half are between 63 and 77.
The 2020 Census counted 171,034 people named Wanda (170,825 women and girls, 209 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 180,981 born in the U.S. The Census count is 5% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 23,900 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 97,600 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 29,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,200 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 750 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 311 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Wanda born?
The states with the most babies named Wanda are Texas, North Carolina and Kentucky, with 19% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Kentucky is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 22,975 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| North Carolina | 14,652 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Kentucky | 14,275 | not ranked | 2.3× |
| Tennessee | 14,008 | not ranked | 2.1× |
| Oklahoma | 13,140 | not ranked | 2.8× |
| New York | 12,104 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Ohio | 11,728 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 11,527 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 11,181 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Alabama | 10,228 | not ranked | 1.5× |
Where Wanda is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Wanda is most over-represented in Oklahoma: since 1910 it was given 2.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Wanda with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 282,418 babies since 1880, Wanda is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 20 of their 20 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Wanda
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Wanda and names like it
- Compare Wanda and WanedaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sWanda peaked in 1957.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Wanda since 1910.
- Polish namesWiktionary’s origin for Wanda: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1957The year the most babies were named Wanda.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Wanda alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with WMost given first.