Girls' name · since 1918
Wendy
Wendy has 262,325 recorded births since 1918 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1967 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #156 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,343 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 262,325
- born since 1918
- 1960s
- peak decade
262,325 babies have been named Wendy since 1918, making it today's #1343 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Wendy recorded 262,325 times among girls since 1918, holding rank #1343 nationally today, ahead of 92% of girls, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 2025.
- #156 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,343 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 262,325 born since 1918
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wendy ranks #156 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,343 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 262,325 born since 1918, peaking in the 1960s.
- #156 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,343 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 262,325
- born since 1918
- 1960s
- peak decade
Wendy's 262,325 recorded births place it above 99.78% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Wendy compares
262,325 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Wendy's all-time total is 698x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wendy | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 262,325 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11,223 | 21 | 19,840 |
Wendy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Wendy's full recorded timeline at 1975, 29% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 71% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1918, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1967 peak of 11,223 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Wendy popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–2025
- Peak year (1967)
- 11,223
- Annual births at peak, across 108 years of records
Wendy popularity over time - boys
951 total births recorded since 1947 (Wendy as boys' name)
Wendy by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (88,963 births, 34% of the file).
1960s was Wendy's strongest decade.
88,963 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Wendy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1920s 45
1920s
45 births
- 1930s 583
1930s
583 births
- 1940s 8,423
1940s
8,423 births
- 1950s
1950s
42,675 births
- 1960s
1960s
88,963 births
- 1970s
1970s
74,185 births
- 1980s 22,268
1980s
22,268 births
- 1990s 11,080
1990s
11,080 births
- 2000s 9,577
2000s
9,577 births
- 2010s 3,371
2010s
3,371 births
- 2020s 1,150
2020s
1,150 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 88,963 births (34% of all-time use).
How Wendy compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Wendy's total volume
Wendy by state
Where Wendy concentrates geographically, total births since 1918
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 36,078 | 13.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 24,320 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 15,315 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Texas | | 12,587 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 12,488 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 12,050 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 11,112 | 4.2% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 8,049 | 3.1% |
36,078 of 262,325 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Wendy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wendy? ▼
Where does Wendy sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wendy most popular? ▼
Where is Wendy most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wendy been used? ▼
What names are similar to Wendy? ▼
What to do with Wendy's data
- Wendy's decade-level peak was the 1960s (88,963 total births); usage has since declined to 1,150 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Wendys (36,078 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wendy
Nearby Names Like Wendy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wendy
Compare Wendy side by side: Wendy vs Wendi Wendy vs Wendie Wendy vs Wende
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wendy
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wendy: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1967)
Similar record span (~107 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1918–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Wendy draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.