Wave
A feminine name alluding to the undulating movement of water.
Name Census estimates that about 102 living Americans carry the first name Wave. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 55.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Wave today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wave births was 2024 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wave. 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
102
~ 1 in 3,360,337 Americans
Peak year
2024
42 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,259
Tracked since 1897
Census
Wave in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 126 people with the first name Wave, which placed it at #49,344 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
#49,344
National first-name rank
People counted
126
126 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
63.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wave
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wave is White at 63.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.7%) and Black (8.7%). 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 Wave 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 Wave at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.5% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.7% · 16
- Black or African American8.7% · 11
- Two or more races8.7% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Wave
Wave is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 202 total registrations, 91 (45.0%) were male and 111 (55.0%) were female.
Wave as a male name
- Ranked #3,259 in 2024
- 37 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (37 births)
Wave as a female name
- Ranked #17,491 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1917 (11 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Wave on both sides of the split. Of the 134 people counted with this name, 68 were male (50.7%) and 66 were female (49.3%).
Popularity
Wave: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wave from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 102 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
Wave 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 Wave during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Waves live
Origin
Meaning and history of Wave
The given name Wave is a modern and unusual name, with origins that can be traced back to the English language. It is a word name, derived from the noun "wave," which refers to a ridging or undulating movement of water. The name likely originated in the late 20th century, as part of a trend towards selecting unique and nature-inspired names for children.
While the name Wave does not have a long historical pedigree, it carries a strong symbolic meaning. Waves have long been associated with the power and majesty of the ocean, as well as the cyclical nature of life. In some cultures, waves are seen as a representation of the ebb and flow of energy, and the continuous cycle of change.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Wave can be found in the 1988 novel "The Wave," by Morton Rhue. The novel is a fictionalized account of a classroom experiment that explores the dangers of conformity and the rise of fascism. In the story, the protagonist, Ben Ross, creates a movement called "The Wave," which quickly spirals out of control. While the name is not used as a personal name in the novel, it serves as a powerful metaphor for the way movements and ideas can take on a life of their own.
In terms of notable individuals named Wave, there are a few scattered examples throughout history. One of the earliest known figures with this name is Wave Yutogi (born 1955), a Japanese actress and singer who rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Another notable individual is Wave Sonico (born 1987), a Japanese singer and voice actress known for her work in anime and video games.
In the world of sports, there is Wave Ryder (born 1979), an American professional surfer and environmentalist. Ryder has been a prominent figure in the surfing community and has worked to promote ocean conservation efforts.
In the world of literature, there is Wave Shakir (born 1964), an American poet and educator. Shakir's work often explores themes of identity, social justice, and the experiences of marginalized communities.
Finally, in the world of music, there is Wave Racer (born 1991), an Australian electronic musician and producer. Wave Racer has gained a following for his unique blend of electronic and indie sounds.
While the name Wave may be relatively new and unconventional, it carries a strong symbolic meaning and has been embraced by individuals across various fields and cultures. Its connection to the natural world and the cyclical nature of life has made it a meaningful choice for some parents seeking a unique and evocative name for their child.
People
Wave + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wave 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
Wave: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wave?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 102 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wave 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 3,360,337 US residents.
Is Wave a common name?
We classify Wave as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 202 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wave most popular?
The single biggest year for Wave was 2024, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wave is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wave in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 126 people with the name Wave, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #49,344 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 Wave 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 Wave?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Wave on both sides of the split. Of the 134 people counted with this name, 68 were male (50.7%) and 66 were female (49.3%). 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 Wave?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wave is White at 63.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.7%) and Black (8.7%). 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 Wave most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.5% (80 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 Wave in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wave a female name?
Yes, 55.0% of people registered as Wave 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 Wave still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wave 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 Wave 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 have the name Wave?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Wave, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.