girl's name
Wanda
WAHN-duh
- Origin Polish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 286,270
Ireland
#423
1968 births
Wanda is a girl's name from Polish, borne by a legendary queen who drowned herself in the Vistula rather than marry a German prince. Our data marks it stable, and it charts in three of the seven markets we track.
- Wanda is a name of Polish origin.
- Peaked in 1957, when 7,735 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 165,782 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Wanda over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 143 |
| 1890s | 626 |
| 1900s | 1,527 |
| 1910s | 10,748 |
| 1920s | 36,116 |
| 1930s | 43,257 |
| 1940s | 50,949 |
| 1950s | 72,636 |
| 1960s | 48,001 |
| 1970s | 13,326 |
| 1980s | 2,900 |
| 1990s | 1,095 |
| 2000s | 479 |
| 2010s | 239 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 144 |
What Wanda means
Wanda is generally given as a Wend, a member of a Slavic people, or as wanderer. Neither is secure, and the name may simply be Polish with no recoverable derivation.
Where Wanda comes from
Wanda is Polish, and its origin is disputed. The most cited proposal derives it from the Wends, a Germanic term for the Slavic peoples of the Elbe, which would make it an ethnic name; the wanderer reading rests on a resemblance to the Germanic wandern and has little support. Its standing comes from legend: Wanda, daughter of Krakus, the founder of Kraków, is said to have refused a German prince and drowned herself in the Vistula rather than accept him or bring war on her people. A mound outside Kraków is traditionally her grave. The name reached English through Ouida's 1883 novel Wanda.
Wanda in use
Wanda peaked in the United States in 1957, when 7,735 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 3456th in England and Wales on 7 births, 5895th in France and 5966th in the United States on 20, across 286,270 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. England and Wales now gives it the strongest of the three positions.
How popular is Wanda?
In 2025, Wanda was given to 20 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Wanda is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Wanda
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Wanda also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Wanda over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Wanda in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Wanda
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Wanda — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Wanda
What does the name Wanda mean?
Not established. A Wend, meaning a Slavic person, is the leading proposal; wanderer has little support.
Who was Queen Wanda?
In Polish legend, the daughter of Kraków's founder, who drowned herself in the Vistula rather than marry a German prince.
Is Wanda a Polish name?
Yes, and it reached English through Ouida's 1883 novel of that title.
How popular is Wanda?
5966th in the United States and 3456th in England and Wales, and our data marks it stable.
Is Wanda a girl's or a boy's name?
Wanda is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Wanda?
Wanda has 2 syllables.
Is Wanda a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Wanda currently ranks #3,456 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.