Watie
A Native American name with meanings including "ancient" and "revolutionary leader".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Watie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Watie today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Watie births was 1920 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Watie. 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 Watie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1920
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1926 SSA rank
#4,172
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Watie: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Watie 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 Watie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 13 | 0 | 13 |
Geography
Where Waties live
Origin
Meaning and history of Watie
Watie is a name of Cherokee origin, derived from the Cherokee word "uwatie," which means "prosperous" or "wealthy." The name can be traced back to the early 19th century when it was commonly used among the Cherokee people in the southeastern United States.
The earliest known recording of the name Watie dates back to the late 18th century, when it was used by members of the Cherokee Nation. One of the most famous historical figures bearing the name was Stand Watie, a Cherokee leader and Confederate general during the American Civil War. Stand Watie, born around 1806, was the last Confederate general to surrender after the war ended in 1865.
Another notable Watie was Elias Cornelius Boudinot, also known as Buck Watie, a prominent Cherokee politician and leader who played a significant role in the negotiations leading to the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation of the Cherokee people from their ancestral lands in the 1830s. Boudinot was born in 1804 and assassinated in 1839.
In the early 20th century, Watie Richard Offield, born in 1908, was a Cherokee author and educator who wrote extensively about Native American history and culture. He contributed to preserving and promoting the Cherokee language and traditions.
Another notable individual with the name Watie was Watie Cunneyworth, a Cherokee artist and painter born in 1936. He was known for his vibrant depictions of Native American life and landscapes, and his works are featured in numerous museums and galleries across the United States.
While the name Watie has its roots in the Cherokee culture, it has also gained recognition and usage among various other communities, particularly in regions with a significant Native American presence or influence. The name carries a rich historical legacy and serves as a reminder of the enduring cultural heritage of the Cherokee people.
People
Watie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Watie 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
Watie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Watie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Watie 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 Watie a common name?
We classify Watie 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, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Watie most popular?
The single biggest year for Watie was 1920, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Watie 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 Watie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Watie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Watie 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 Watie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Watie 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 Watie 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 the name Watie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.