Wattie
A diminutive of Walter, a masculine given name derived from Old German meaning "army ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Wattie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wattie today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wattie births was 1923 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wattie. 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 Wattie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1923
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1923 SSA rank
#4,871
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Wattie: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wattie 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 Wattie 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wattie
The name Wattie is a diminutive form of the Scottish name Walter, which is derived from the Old German name Walther. It is composed of two elements: "wald" meaning "rule" and "heri" meaning "army." The name Walter was originally a Germanic name that spread widely across Europe during the Middle Ages.
Wattie emerged as a pet form or nickname for Walter in Scotland, where the name Walter was particularly popular. The earliest recorded use of Wattie dates back to the 16th century in Scottish records and literature. It was a common nickname used affectionately for those named Walter.
In terms of historical figures bearing the name Wattie, it was primarily used as a nickname rather than a given name in its own right. One notable figure was Wattie Douglas (c. 1615-1672), a Scottish covenanter and minister who played a role in the religious conflicts of the 17th century.
Another historical figure known by the nickname Wattie was Wattie Buchan (1786-1857), a Scottish journalist and poet who wrote works in the Scots language. He was also known as Walter Buchan.
Wattie Dunlop (1792-1842) was a Scottish poet and songwriter who wrote in both English and Scots. His poems and songs often celebrated the life and culture of rural Scotland.
In the realm of literature, the name Wattie appears in the works of Scottish writers such as Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns. In Scott's novel "The Antiquary," one of the characters is referred to as "Wattie Muir."
It is worth noting that Wattie was not exclusively a Scottish nickname. In England, it was also occasionally used as a pet form of the name Walter, although it was less common than in Scotland.
People
Wattie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wattie 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
Wattie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wattie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wattie 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 Wattie a common name?
We classify Wattie 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, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wattie most popular?
The single biggest year for Wattie was 1923, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wattie 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 Wattie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wattie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wattie 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 Wattie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wattie 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 Wattie 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 Wattie as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.