Waddie
Diminutive of the name Walter, derived from the Germanic elements "wald" and "heri" meaning "ruler of the army".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Waddie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Waddie today is around 114 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Waddie births was 1919 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Waddie. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Waddie is about 114 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Waddies were born before 1922.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Waddie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1919
6 babies that year
Average age
114
years old
1928 SSA rank
#4,698
Tracked since 1899
Gender
Gender distribution for Waddie
Waddie leans heavily male at 80.8% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Waddie as a male name
- Ranked #4,698 in 1928
- 5 male births in 1928
- Peak: 1919 (6 births)
Waddie as a female name
- Ranked #4,839 in 1933
- 5 female births in 1933
- Peak: 1933 (5 births)
Popularity
Waddie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Waddie from the 1890s through to the 1930s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Waddie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Waddie 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 Waddie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Waddie
The name Waddie is believed to have its origins in the Middle English language, derived from the Old English word "wad" or "wade," meaning to walk through a shallow body of water. This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages in England, initially used as a surname for those who lived near a ford or crossing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Waddie can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a great census commissioned by William the Conqueror. The record mentions a landowner named Waddie of Oxfordshire, suggesting the name's use as a personal identifier during the Norman era.
In the 13th century, the name Waddie appeared in the Hundred Rolls, a census-like record of landowners and their properties in England. This historical document contains references to individuals named Waddie residing in various counties, indicating the name's spread across the country.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure bearing the name Waddie was Waddie Winslow (1499-1567), a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. His legacy is documented in the company's archives, shedding light on the name's usage among the English mercantile class.
In the realm of literature, the name Waddie makes an appearance in the works of the celebrated English poet John Donne (1572-1631). In one of his poems, Donne references a character named "Waddie the Wanderer," suggesting the name's association with a traveler or adventurer during that era.
Moving into the 18th century, Waddie Beaumont (1721-1789) was a renowned English naturalist and explorer. His expeditions to the Americas and his contributions to the study of flora and fauna earned him recognition in scientific circles of the time.
Another figure of note was Waddie Cunningham (1789-1864), a Scottish-born merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Glasgow. His name can be found in historical records and archives related to the city's industrial and commercial development.
These examples illustrate the name Waddie's presence throughout various epochs of history, spanning different regions, professions, and social strata. While its usage may have waned in modern times, the name Waddie remains a testament to its rich cultural heritage and linguistic origins.
People
Waddie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Waddie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Waddie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Waddie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Waddie 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Waddie a common name?
We classify Waddie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Waddie most popular?
The single biggest year for Waddie was 1919, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Waddie is about 114 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Waddie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Waddie a male name?
Yes, 80.8% of people registered as Waddie in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Waddie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Waddie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Waddie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Waddie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.