Waldemar
A masculine given name of Germanic origin meaning "ruler of peace".
Name Census estimates that about 561 living Americans carry the first name Waldemar. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Waldemar today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Waldemar births was 1915 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Waldemar. 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
561
~ 1 in 610,970 Americans
Peak year
1915
50 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,101
Tracked since 1891
Census
Waldemar in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,707 people with the first name Waldemar, which placed it at #6,049 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,049
National first-name rank
People counted
2.7K
2,707 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waldemar
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Waldemar is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (39.6%) and Black (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Waldemar described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Waldemar at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.4% · 1,580
- Hispanic or Latino39.6% · 1,072
- Black or African American0.7% · 19
- Two or more races0.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Popularity
Waldemar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Waldemar from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 350 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Waldemar 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 Waldemar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Waldemars live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York recorded the most babies named Waldemar, while California, Michigan, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 48 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Waldemar
The name Waldemar has its origins in the Germanic languages, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a compound name, derived from the Old High German words "waltan" meaning "to rule" or "to govern," and "mari" meaning "famous" or "renowned." Together, the name Waldemar signifies "famous ruler" or "renowned leader."
The earliest recorded use of the name Waldemar can be traced back to the 12th century, when it was borne by several medieval rulers and noblemen. One notable figure was Valdemar I of Denmark, who reigned from 1157 to 1182 and is credited with consolidating Danish territories and strengthening the monarchy.
In the 13th century, the name gained prominence with Valdemar II of Denmark, also known as Valdemar the Victorious (1170-1241). He was a powerful and influential king who expanded Danish territories and played a significant role in the Northern Crusades against pagan tribes in present-day Estonia and Latvia.
Another historical figure with the name Waldemar was Valdemar IV of Denmark (1320-1375), who ruled from 1340 to 1375. He is remembered for his efforts to centralize the kingdom's administration and his involvement in the conflict known as the Danish-Holstein War.
Moving beyond the realm of Danish royalty, the name Waldemar was also adopted by other European nobility. One such example is Waldemar, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe (1783-1853), a German nobleman and military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became the ruling Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe.
In the 20th century, Waldemar Bonsels (1880-1952) was a German author and poet, best known for his children's book "The Adventures of Maya the Bee," which has been adapted into various media formats and remains popular to this day.
While the name Waldemar has historical significance and resonance, particularly in Northern Europe, it has become less common in modern times. However, its enduring legacy as a name symbolizing leadership and renown ensures that it remains an intriguing and distinguished choice for parents seeking a name with a rich heritage.
People
Waldemar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Waldemar 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
Waldemar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Waldemar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 561 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Waldemar 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 610,970 US residents.
Is Waldemar a common name?
We classify Waldemar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,505 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Waldemar most popular?
The single biggest year for Waldemar was 1915, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Waldemar is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Waldemar in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,707 people with the name Waldemar, or 0.90 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,049 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Waldemar in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Waldemar?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Waldemar appears almost entirely male. Of the 2,711 people counted with this name, 99.8% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Waldemar?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Waldemar is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (39.6%) and Black (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Waldemar most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Waldemar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.4% (1,580 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Waldemar in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Waldemar a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Waldemar 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 Waldemar still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Waldemar 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 Waldemar 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.
How many people are named Waldemar?
See how many people have the name Waldemar on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.