Waddy
Short and antiquated form of Walter, derived from the Germanic name meaning "army ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Waddy. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Waddy today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Waddy births was 1916 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Waddy. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Waddy. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1916 SSA rank
#4,508
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Waddy: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Waddy 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 Waddy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Waddy
The given name Waddy is believed to have originated from the Arabic word "wadi," which means a dry river bed or a valley between mountains. This Arabic word was likely adopted into English during the era of British colonization and exploration of the Middle East and North Africa.
The name Waddy can be traced back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when British explorers and travelers encountered and documented various Arabic words and names during their expeditions in the region. Some early records of the name Waddy may have been used to refer to individuals or places associated with dry river beds or valleys.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Waddy was Sir Samuel White Baker (1821-1893), a British explorer and officer who traveled extensively in Africa and wrote about his adventures. He is known for his exploration of the Nile River and his efforts to abolish the slave trade in Sudan.
Another notable figure with the name Waddy was Waddy Bucknavage Thompson (1798-1868), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from Virginia. He was a prominent figure in the antebellum period and played a role in the debates surrounding slavery and states' rights.
In the field of literature, Waddy Wachtel (1871-1953) was an American author and journalist who wrote several books and short stories, including "The Crimson Stain" and "The Haunting of Pelham Lodge."
Moving to the realm of sports, Waddy Young (1900-1968) was an American baseball player who played as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 1930s. He was part of the Yankees team that won the World Series in 1932.
Lastly, Waddy Tate (1917-1998) was an American artist and illustrator known for his work in magazine illustrations and advertisements. He is particularly renowned for his illustrations for Esquire magazine and various book covers during the mid-20th century.
While the name Waddy may not be as common today, these historical figures and records demonstrate its presence and usage throughout various periods and contexts, particularly in the English-speaking world influenced by British exploration and colonial encounters with Arabic cultures.
People
Waddy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Waddy 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
Waddy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Waddy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Waddy 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 - US residents.
Is Waddy a common name?
We classify Waddy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Waddy most popular?
The single biggest year for Waddy was 1916, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Waddy is about 0 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 Waddy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Waddy a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Waddy 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 Waddy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Waddy 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 Waddy 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 named Waddy?
Find out how many Americans are named Waddy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.