Wavell
Wavell: A masculine English name derived from the Old French "wavel", meaning "wave" or "billow".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Wavell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wavell today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wavell births was 1942 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wavell. 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 Wavell is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wavells were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wavell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1942
7 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1942 SSA rank
#3,204
Tracked since 1942
Popularity
Wavell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wavell 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 Wavell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wavell
The name Wavell is an English given name derived from the Old English word "wafel," meaning "wanderer" or "nomad." It is a relatively uncommon name, with its origins tracing back to the Middle Ages in England.
During the medieval period, the name Wavell was primarily associated with individuals who led a nomadic lifestyle or traveled frequently. It was often given to children born into families of traders, merchants, or those who followed seasonal work or migratory patterns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wavell can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Wavell de Burgh, who held properties in the county of Norfolk.
Throughout the centuries, the name Wavell has been borne by various notable figures, although it has never achieved widespread popularity. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell (1883-1950), a British Army officer who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the British Middle East Command during World War II. He played a crucial role in the North African campaign and was later appointed as the Viceroy of India from 1943 to 1947.
Another notable figure named Wavell was Sir Arthur John Wavell (1882-1916), a British civil servant and explorer who served as the Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1905 to 1908. He is renowned for his contributions to the study of the indigenous peoples of the islands and their languages.
In the literary world, Wavell Root (1903-1982) was an American writer and journalist who authored several books on travel and world cultures, including "The Underworld," an account of his experiences living among the homeless in Paris and London in the 1930s.
The name Wavell has also been borne by several lesser-known individuals throughout history, such as Wavell Wakefield (1898-1970), an English cricketer who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century, and Wavell Gerish (1917-1995), an American mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of differential geometry.
While the name Wavell has remained relatively uncommon, it continues to hold a place in the English naming tradition, carrying with it a sense of wanderlust and a connection to the nomadic spirit of its origins.
People
Wavell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wavell 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
Wavell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wavell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wavell 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Wavell a common name?
We classify Wavell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wavell most popular?
The single biggest year for Wavell was 1942, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wavell is about 90 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 Wavell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wavell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wavell 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 Wavell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wavell 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 Wavell 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 Wavell?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Wavell, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.