How Many People Are Named Wanda?
An estimated 137,466 people in the United States have the first name Wanda. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #389 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 69 years old, and Wanda peaked in popularity in 1957 with 7,734 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Wanda as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Wanda paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Wanda is overwhelmingly female, 972 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 69, Wanda is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1967.
- Wanda has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
137,466
About 1 in 2,493 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
69
years old
Peak Year
1957
7,734 births
Total Registered
282,168
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Wanda
Wanda is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 282,168 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Wanda as a male name
Ranked #8,101 in 1987
5 male births in 1987
Peak: 1963 (35 births)
Wanda as a female name
Ranked #5,123 in 2024
26 female births in 2024
Peak: 1957 (7,712 births)
Wanda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 171,034 people with the first name Wanda, which placed it at #327 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Wanda was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 171,034 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.1% were male and 99.9% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.7% of the time.
Census Count
171,034
people with this name
Census Rank
#327
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
56.63
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Wanda was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (67.62%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (20.02%) and Hispanic (8.26%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Wanda in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Wanda.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 67.62% | 115,656 |
| Black | 20.02% | 34,237 |
| Hispanic | 8.26% | 14,120 |
| Two or More Races | 2.47% | 4,224 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.96% | 1,635 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.68% | 1,162 |
Wanda: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Wanda span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 72,635 babies were registered. Wanda has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Wanda by Decade
How has Wanda 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.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 143 | 0 | 143 | |
| 1890s | 626 | 0 | 626 | |
| 1900s | 1,527 | 0 | 1,527 | |
| 1910s | 10,748 | 13 | 10,735 | |
| 1920s | 36,116 | 109 | 36,007 | |
| 1930s | 43,257 | 185 | 43,072 | |
| 1940s | 50,950 | 174 | 50,776 | |
| 1950s | 72,635 | 188 | 72,447 | |
| 1960s | 48,003 | 230 | 47,773 | |
| 1970s | 13,327 | 46 | 13,281 | |
| 1980s | 2,900 | 27 | 2,873 | |
| 1990s | 1,095 | 0 | 1,095 | |
| 2000s | 479 | 0 | 479 | |
| 2010s | 238 | 0 | 238 | |
| 2020s | 124 | 0 | 124 | |
Wanda by State
Birth registrations for Wanda span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Rhode Island. On average, about 5,416 Wandas were registered per state.
Wanda + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Wanda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Wanda
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
Wanda: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wanda?
We estimate approximately 137,466 people named Wanda 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 2,493 Americans share this first name.
Is Wanda a common name?
Wanda is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 282,168 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Wanda most popular?
Wanda reached peak popularity in 1957, when 7,734 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Wanda is approximately 69 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Wanda in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 171,034 people with the first name Wanda. That placed it at #327 in the published Census first-name tables, or 56.63 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Wanda was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Wanda?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Wanda was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.1% male and 99.9% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Wanda?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Wanda was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (67.62%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (20.02%) and Hispanic (8.26%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Wanda a female name?
Wanda is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Wanda have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Wanda peaked in 1957, and the average living bearer is about 69 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Wanda Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Wanda Smith, Wanda Johnson, Wanda 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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