Wannette
A feminine name of French origin meaning "little Anne".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Wannette. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wannette today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wannette births was 1969 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wannette. 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 Wannette. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1969
7 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1970 SSA rank
#7,058
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Wannette: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wannette from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 7 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wannette 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 Wannette 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 Wannette
The name Wannette is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It is thought to be a feminine variant of the Old English name "Wanna," which itself is derived from the Germanic word "wan," meaning "pale" or "light-colored."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wannette can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is mentioned in reference to a landowner in the county of Norfolk, suggesting its use as a given name during the Norman period.
In medieval times, the name Wannette appeared sporadically in various historical documents, such as parish records and court proceedings. One notable bearer of the name was Wannette de Beaumont, a French noblewoman who lived in the 12th century and was known for her philanthropy and patronage of the arts.
During the Renaissance period, the name Wannette gained some popularity among the upper classes in parts of Europe. One notable figure was Wannette of Aragon (1455-1517), a Spanish princess who was briefly considered as a potential bride for the English King Henry VII.
In the 17th century, the name Wannette was relatively uncommon, but a few notable individuals bore the name. One such person was Wannette Goedhart (1628-1688), a Dutch painter who specialized in still-life and floral compositions and was part of the Leiden School of painting.
As the centuries progressed, the name Wannette remained relatively obscure, but it was occasionally used in various parts of Europe and beyond. One notable modern bearer of the name was Wannette Ketchum (1896-1978), an American artist and illustrator who was known for her children's book illustrations and her work for popular magazines of the time.
While the name Wannette is not particularly common in modern times, it has a rich historical legacy that spans centuries and various cultures. Its origins in Old English and its connection to the concept of "light" or "pale" give it a unique and intriguing meaning, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences that have shaped the development of personal names over time.
People
Wannette + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wannette 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
Wannette: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wannette?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wannette 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Wannette a common name?
We classify Wannette as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wannette most popular?
The single biggest year for Wannette was 1969, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wannette is about 58 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 Wannette in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wannette a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wannette 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 Wannette still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wannette 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 Wannette 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 Wannette?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.