How Many People Are Named Waddell?
An estimated 343 people in the United States have the first name Waddell. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 68 years old, and Waddell peaked in popularity in 1947 with 22 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Waddell as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Waddell paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 68, Waddell is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1968.
Estimated Living Americans
343
About 1 in 999,284 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
100.0% confidence
Average Age
68
years old
Peak Year
1947
22 births
Total Registered
780
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Waddell
Waddell is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 780 total births registered, 100.0% were male.
Waddell as a male name
Ranked #9,438 in 1990
5 male births in 1990
Peak: 1947 (22 births)
Waddell: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Waddell span from the 1900s to the 1990s, covering 10 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 140 babies were registered. Waddell has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Waddell by Decade
How has Waddell tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Waddell by State
Birth registrations for Waddell span all 4 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee. The lowest are in Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina. On average, about 25 Waddells were registered per state.
Waddell + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Waddell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Waddell
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
Waddell: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Waddell?
We estimate approximately 343 people named Waddell are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 999,284 Americans share this first name.
Is Waddell a common name?
Waddell is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 80.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 780 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Waddell most popular?
Waddell reached peak popularity in 1947, when 22 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Waddell is approximately 68 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Waddell a male name?
Waddell is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Waddell Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Waddell Smith, Waddell Johnson, Waddell Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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