Wendy is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Wendy means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Wendy across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Wendy has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Wendy is a girl name of English origin meaning “of uncertain origin”. popularised by J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 263,276 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 513 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,716 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 3 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 1,063 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 6,832 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Wendy per year, United States (1918 to 2025). United States peaked in 1967 (11,259/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1974 (290/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1977 (71/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (27/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1998 (3/yr).
Wendy has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1967, when it ranked #65 nationally (given to 11,291 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1960s.
Wanda · Andy · Wendi · Windy · Indy · Wende · Wendie · Wonda
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