The first name Washington
A boy’s name from English meaning “a settlement of the household of *hwæssa”, “belonging to”, “homestead”.
Pronounced /ˈwɑʃɪŋtən/ 3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
English origin
Washington means “a settlement of the household of *hwæssa”, “belonging to”, “homestead” in English.
Washington (the town in Tyne and Wear, northeast England): probably from the Old English place name Hwæssingatūn (literally “a settlement of the household of *Hwæssa”), from *Hwæssa (a Saxon chieftain's name) + -ing (“belonging to”) + tūn (“homestead, settlement”). It was attested in 1096 as Wasindone. *Hwæssa is of uncertain origin, said to possibly correspond to waþ (“hunt”) + sige (“victory”), or possibly related to hwæte (“wheat”). There are other theories; more on Wikipedia. The surname derives from the town, and most places in the United States are named for George Washington.
More names that mean victory.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Washington at birth, 1880–2025
In 2024, 8 boys born in the United States were named Washington, the 9,819th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1921, when 60 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Washington in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Washington in Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese too.
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Washington
- Wash
- Wa
- Wsh
Famous people named Washington
29 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Washington IrvingAmerican writer, historian and diplomat (1783-1859)
- Washington Stecanela CerqueiraBrazilian association football player, born 1975
- Washington AllstonAmerican artist (1779-1843)
- Washington Luiz Mascarenhas SilvaBrazilian association football player, born 1978
- Washington Luiz Pereira dos SantosBrazilian association football player, born 1975
- Washington Luigi GarciaBrazilian association football player, born 1978
- Deivid WashingtonBrazilian association football player, born 2005
- George Washington LambertAustralian artist (1873–1930)
- Washington RodríguezBoxer, 1944–2014
- Washington CruzBrazilian priest, born 1946
- Washington RoeblingAmerican civil engineer (1837–1926)
- Washington PhillipsAmerican musician (1880–1954)
More English boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Washington mean?
- Washington means “a settlement of the household of *hwæssa”, “belonging to”, “homestead” in English.
- What is the origin of the name Washington?
- Washington (the town in Tyne and Wear, northeast England): probably from the Old English place name Hwæssingatūn (literally “a settlement of the household of *Hwæssa”), from *Hwæssa (a Saxon chieftain's name) + -ing (“belonging to”) + tūn (“homestead, settlement”). It was attested in 1096 as…
- What are nicknames for Washington?
- Common nicknames for Washington include Wash, Wa, Wsh.
- Is Washington a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 2,644 US babies named Washington since 1880 were boys.
- When was Washington most popular?
- 1921 in the United States, when 60 babies were named Washington, its highest rank at 909th.
- How do you pronounce Washington?
- Washington is /ˈwɑʃɪŋtən/, 3 syllables.
- Is Washington also a surname?
- Yes. Washington is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.