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Wendy

“The given name 'Wendy' is derived from the Old English word 'wendan', meaning 'to turn' or 'to bend', and is also related to the Old Norse word 'vinda', with a feminine suffix '-y' added to create a diminutive form.”

English · Girl · 2 syllables

W
Top 5,000

Popularity & facts

Relative popularity index, 2010–2025
GenderGirl
US Rank#1,347
TrendStable
Peak year1967
Syllables2
OriginEnglish
LanguageEnglish
CultureEnglish
Letters5
Numerology8 Chaldean 3
Global rank#85

Popularity over time

Popularity index
Hover the line to see any year. 100 = most popular.

Historical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data

About the name Wendy

The given name 'Wendy' is derived from the Old English word 'wendan', meaning 'to turn' or 'to bend', and is also related to the Old Norse word 'vinda', with a feminine suffix '-y' added to create a diminutive form.

Cross-referenced with Wikidata/Wikipedia. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.

Etymology

The given name 'Wendy' is derived from the Old English word 'wendan', meaning 'to turn' or 'to bend', and is also related to the Old Norse word 'vinda', with a feminine suffix '-y' added to create a diminutive form. The name 'Wendy' is primarily associated with European cultures, particularly Scottish and English, and gained popularity in the 20th century due to J.M. Barrie's character Wendy Darling in his novel 'Peter Pan'.

Wendy currently ranks #1,347 in the United States as a girl's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1967.

Variants & nicknames

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