Waldean
Of English origin, a nature name meaning "from the wooded valley".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Waldean. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Waldean today is around 100 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Waldean births was 1931 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Waldean. 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 Waldean is about 100 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Waldeans were born before 1936.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Waldean. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1931
10 babies that year
Average age
100
years old
1931 SSA rank
#4,298
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Waldean
Waldean is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 43 total registrations, 10 (23.3%) were male and 33 (76.7%) were female.
Waldean as a male name
- Ranked #4,298 in 1931
- 5 male births in 1931
- Peak: 1926 (5 births)
Waldean as a female name
- Ranked #4,999 in 1940
- 5 female births in 1940
- Peak: 1935 (7 births)
Popularity
Waldean: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Waldean from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 22 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Waldean 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 Waldean 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 Waldean
The name Waldean has its roots in the Old English language, tracing back to the early medieval period in England. It is derived from the combination of two Old English words: "weald," meaning a wooded area or forest, and "denu," which translates to a valley or a hollow. Thus, the name Waldean likely referred to someone who lived in a valley surrounded by forests or woodlands.
During the Anglo-Saxon era, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th centuries, names often held descriptive meanings related to physical characteristics, occupations, or places of residence. The name Waldean would have been given to individuals residing in such forested valleys, possibly reflecting their connection to nature or their occupation as foresters or woodsmen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Waldean can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions several individuals with variations of the name, such as Waldenus and Waldene, indicating its widespread usage during that time.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Waldean continued to be used, though its popularity waxed and waned. One notable figure bearing this name was Waldean of Cirencester, a 12th-century Benedictine monk and chronicler known for his historical writings on the affairs of England and the church.
In the 14th century, a Waldean de Vere is mentioned in records as a prominent landowner and knight from Essex, serving under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War against France. Another individual of note was Waldean Chaucer, a 15th-century poet and relative of the renowned Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote several works that have been preserved in various manuscript collections.
During the Renaissance period, the name Waldean gained some popularity among the gentry and noble classes. One such figure was Waldean Fitzalan, a 16th-century English courtier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I and played a significant role in the negotiations with Spain during the Anglo-Spanish War.
As time progressed, the name Waldean became less common, though it continued to be used sporadically throughout the centuries. In the 18th century, Waldean Smythe was a notable English botanist and naturalist who contributed to the study of plant life and published several works on the subject.
People
Waldean + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Waldean 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
Waldean: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Waldean?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Waldean 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Waldean a common name?
We classify Waldean as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 43 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Waldean most popular?
The single biggest year for Waldean was 1931, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Waldean is about 100 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 Waldean in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Waldean a female name?
Yes, 76.7% of people registered as Waldean 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.
Is Waldean still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Waldean 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 Waldean 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 share the name Waldean?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.