# Wanda (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/wanda/  
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 | girls |
| Origin | Polish |
| Meaning | “a wend” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈwɑndə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Vanda |
| US babies named this | 282,186 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 972 / 281,214 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 113, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

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

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 24 | 5,719 |
| 2012 | 28 | 5,106 |
| 2013 | 30 | 4,747 |
| 2014 | 23 | 5,785 |
| 2015 | 25 | 5,447 |
| 2016 | 30 | 4,727 |
| 2017 | 28 | 4,915 |
| 2018 | 20 | 6,228 |
| 2019 | 13 | 8,577 |
| 2020 | 18 | 6,618 |
| 2021 | 36 | 4,083 |
| 2022 | 23 | 5,625 |
| 2023 | 21 | 5,943 |
| 2024 | 26 | 5,138 |
| 2025 | 20 | 6,096 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 23 | 1,648 |
| 1967 | 18 | 1,903 |
| 1968 | 23 | 1,693 |
| 1969 | 15 | 2,305 |
| 1970 | 8 | 3,826 |
| 1971 | 9 | 3,652 |
| 1972 | 8 | 3,956 |
| 1973 | 7 | 4,490 |
| 1974 | 7 | 4,624 |
| 1977 | 7 | 5,109 |
| 1982 | 5 | 7,339 |
| 1983 | 7 | 5,463 |
| 1984 | 5 | 7,308 |
| 1986 | 5 | 7,784 |
| 1987 | 5 | 8,101 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3 | 5,785 |
| 2012 | 6 | 3,681 |
| 2013 | 5 | 4,050 |
| 2014 | 6 | 3,514 |
| 2015 | 8 | 2,945 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4,763 |
| 2017 | 8 | 2,925 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4,684 |
| 2019 | 11 | 2,286 |
| 2020 | 9 | 2,615 |
| 2021 | 9 | 2,711 |
| 2022 | 10 | 2,488 |
| 2023 | 5 | 4,056 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4,192 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3,333 |

## In other languages

- Czech: Vanda
- Latvian: Vanda
- Polish: Wanda
- Swedish: Vanda

## People named Wanda

- Wanda Sykes, American comedian, writer, actress and voice artist
- Wanda Jackson, American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist
- Wanda Hendrix, American actress (1928-1981)
- Wanda Hawley, American actress (1895-1963)
- Wanda Gág, American artist and children's writer (1893-1946)
- Wanda Nara, Argentine model
- Wanda Ventham, English actress
- Wanda De Jesus, American actress
- Wanda Perdelwitz, German actress (1984–2025)
- Wanda Jarszewska, actress (1888-1964)
- Wanda Capodaglio, actress (1889–1980)
- Wanda Austin, American businessperson

## 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.