Wathena
A feminine Native American name meaning "fearless" or "first-born daughter."
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Wathena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wathena today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wathena births was 1927 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wathena. 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 Wathena is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wathenas were born before 1961.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wathena. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1927
9 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1963 SSA rank
#7,638
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Wathena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wathena from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 21 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
Wathena 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 Wathena 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 Wathena
The name Wathena has its origins in the Ioway language, spoken by the Ioway Native American tribe from the Great Plains region of North America. The name is believed to have emerged sometime around the 17th or 18th century.
Wathena is derived from the Ioway word "wa-thi-na", which roughly translates to "plentiful" or "bountiful". It was likely given as a name to signify abundance, fertility, and prosperity. The earliest known use of the name Wathena can be traced back to the mid-19th century.
While the name Wathena does not appear to have any direct mentions in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been recorded in historical documents and records related to the Ioway tribe and their interactions with European settlers and explorers in the mid-to-late 1800s.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Wathena was Wathena Johndreau, an Ioway woman born around 1820 who played a significant role in her tribe's interactions with the United States government during the mid-19th century. Another notable figure was Wathena Dyer, an Ioway woman born in the 1830s who was known for her advocacy for Native American rights and education.
In the late 19th century, Wathena Blevins (1872-1946) was a prominent member of the Ioway tribe who worked tirelessly to preserve her tribe's traditions and cultural heritage. She was also instrumental in establishing the Ioway Reservation in Kansas.
Moving into the 20th century, Wathena Oldham (1903-1988) was an Ioway activist and educator who fought for the recognition and rights of her people. She worked closely with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and was instrumental in the establishment of several educational programs for Native American youth.
Finally, Wathena White (1928-2012) was a renowned Ioway artist and craftsperson who played a significant role in reviving and promoting traditional Ioway art forms, such as beadwork and pottery. Her works are displayed in several museums and galleries across the United States.
People
Wathena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wathena 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
Wathena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wathena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wathena 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Wathena a common name?
We classify Wathena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 51 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wathena most popular?
The single biggest year for Wathena was 1927, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wathena is about 75 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 Wathena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wathena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wathena 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 Wathena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wathena 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 Wathena 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 have Wathena as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.