# Waldo (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/waldo/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “power”, “thief”, “one who snatched victory from battle.” |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Waldeve, Waldef, Waltheof |
| US babies named this | 5,722 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 5,716 / 6 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | not in the ONS data |

## Etymology

English surname, from the obsolete English given name Waltheof, from Old English weald (“power”) + þēof (“thief”), as in "one who snatched victory from battle." Comparable to, or ultimately Anglicized from, the Old Norse equivalent Valthiófr, from vald + *ᚦᛖᚢᛒᚨᛉ (*þeubaʀ). Compare Walthall, Waldie.

## What it means

Waldo is grouped under strong.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 6 | 5,080 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 10 | 7,966 |
| 2007 | 10 | 8,138 |
| 2008 | 12 | 7,161 |
| 2009 | 12 | 7,210 |
| 2010 | 10 | 8,100 |
| 2012 | 8 | 9,664 |
| 2013 | 5 | 13,960 |
| 2014 | 5 | 13,966 |
| 2015 | 8 | 9,510 |
| 2016 | 9 | 8,768 |
| 2017 | 11 | 7,508 |
| 2019 | 10 | 8,173 |
| 2020 | 6 | 11,935 |
| 2021 | 10 | 8,126 |
| 2025 | 6 | 11,906 |

## People named Waldo

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher (1803–1882)
- Waldo Ponce, Chilean footballer
- Waldo Frank, American novelist, historian, political activist and literary critic (1889–1967)
- Waldo Salt, American screenwriter (1914-1987)
- Waldo L. Parra, Chilean lawyer and novelist
- Waldo Rubio Martín, association football player
- Waldo of Reichenau, carolingian bishop
- Waldo R. Tobler, American geographer (1930–2018)
- Waldo Semon, American inventor (1898–1999)
- Waldo P. Johnson, American politician (1817–1885)
- Waldo Vieira, Brazilian author and psychical researcher
- Johnny Green, American conductor, arranger, composer, pianist (1908-1989)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.