The first name Wendy
A girl’s name meaning “friend”, “island at the river bend”, “watercourse with a bend”.
Pronounced /ˈwɛn.di/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Wendy means “friend”, “island at the river bend”, “watercourse with a bend”.
Popularized by the character in J. M. Barrie's play, Peter Pan (1904), though occasionally found earlier; the author explained that he got it from Fwendy-Wendy ("friend"), a nickname given to him by a child. Alternatively, from a diminutive of the Welsh Gwendolen; or from Wendelin, a diminutive of Wendel; therefore a doublet of Gwen. A habitational forename meaning, "island at the river bend", from Old English wende (“watercourse with a bend”) + ēġ (“island”).
More names that mean friend.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 16 girls were named Wendy, making it the 1,809th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1997, with 27 births (#820).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Wendy with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Wendy at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 165 girls born in the United States were named Wendy, the 1,347th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1967, when 11,223 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.
Wendy in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Wendy in French, Italian and Portuguese too.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Wenda
Famous people named Wendy
69 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Wendy HillerEnglish film and stage actress (1912-2003)
- Wendy CarlosAmerican composer and electronic musician (born 1939)
- Wendy WilliamsAmerican media personality (born 1964)
- Wendy SchaalAmerican actress, born 1954
- Wendy BrownAmerican political theorist, born 1955
- Wendy TurnbullAustralian tennis player, born 1952
- Wendy CrewsonCanadian actress, born 1956
- Wendy FreedmanCanadian-American astronomer, born 1957
- Wendy BarrieBritish actress, 1912–1978
- Wendy WassersteinAmerican playwright (1950–2006)
- Wendy O. WilliamsAmerican singer (1949–1998)
- Wendy HouvenaghelBritish racing cyclist, born 1974
Questions
- What does the name Wendy mean?
- Wendy means “friend”, “island at the river bend”, “watercourse with a bend”.
- How popular is the name Wendy?
- In 2025, 16 girls born in England and Wales were named Wendy, ranking 1,809th. Its peak was 1997, with 27 births.
- Is Wendy a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 263,276 US babies named Wendy since 1880 were girls.
- When was Wendy most popular?
- 1967 in the United States, when 11,223 babies were named Wendy, its highest rank at 32nd.
- How do you pronounce Wendy?
- Wendy is /ˈwɛn.di/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Wendy?
- Wenda.