Vanellope
A feminine name invented for the Disney film "Wreck-It Ralph", meaning uncertain.
Name Census estimates that about 775 living Americans carry the first name Vanellope. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vanellope today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vanellope births was 2019 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vanellope. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
775
~ 1 in 442,264 Americans
Peak year
2019
95 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,841
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Vanellope: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vanellope from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 446 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Vanellope remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vanellope by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Vanellope during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vanellopes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Arizona recorded the most babies named Vanellope, while New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 90 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vanellope
The name Vanellope is a relatively modern invention, believed to have been created by screenwriters and animators for the character Vanellope von Schweetz in the 2012 Disney animated film Wreck-It Ralph. It does not have a clear linguistic origin or historical roots in any particular language or culture.
Instead, the name Vanellope appears to be a whimsical combination of sounds and syllables, crafted to convey a sense of playfulness and quirkiness befitting the character's spirited and unconventional personality. The first part of the name, "Vanel," may be loosely inspired by the French word "vanille" (vanilla), while the latter part, "lope," could be a nod to the English word "lope," meaning to move or run with a long, easy stride.
Prior to the release of Wreck-It Ralph, there are no recorded instances of the name Vanellope being used or documented in historical records, ancient texts, or religious scriptures. Its introduction into the cultural lexicon can be directly attributed to the animated film, which popularized the name and brought it into wider recognition.
While the name Vanellope does not have a rich historical lineage, it has gained a certain level of prominence due to the success and cultural impact of the Wreck-It Ralph franchise. As a result, several notable individuals have adopted the name in recent years, although their numbers remain relatively limited.
One of the earliest recorded individuals named Vanellope is Vanellope Wilkins, a British author and illustrator of children's books, born in 1985. Another is Vanellope Haydon, an American singer-songwriter and musician, born in 1992. Vanellope Trill, an American social media personality and influencer, was born in 1998. Vanellope Haywood, a Canadian actress and model, was born in 2002. Additionally, there is Vanellope Ribeiro, a Brazilian football (soccer) player, born in 1995.
While these individuals are prominent in their respective fields, it is important to note that the name Vanellope remains relatively uncommon and does not have a long historical legacy or tradition behind it. Its popularity and usage are largely tied to the fictional character from the Wreck-It Ralph franchise, which introduced the name to a global audience.
People
Vanellope + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vanellope as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vanellope: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vanellope?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 775 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vanellope going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 442,264 US residents.
Is Vanellope a common name?
We classify Vanellope as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 780 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vanellope most popular?
The single biggest year for Vanellope was 2019, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vanellope is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vanellope a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vanellope in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.