Weda
An Old Norse name meaning "little plains" or "pastures".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Weda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Weda today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Weda births was 1934 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Weda. 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 Weda is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wedas were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Weda. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1934
11 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1954 SSA rank
#6,601
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Weda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Weda from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 42 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
Weda 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 Weda 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 Weda
The name Weda is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word "Veda," which means "knowledge" or "wisdom." This ancient name has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the Hindu tradition. The Vedas are a collection of sacred texts that form the foundation of Hindu philosophy and spirituality.
In ancient Indian literature, the name Weda is associated with scholars, sages, and spiritual leaders who dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment. One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Upanishads, a collection of philosophical and spiritual texts that date back to around the 8th century BCE.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Weda. One of the most prominent was Weda Vyasa, a legendary Hindu sage and the compiler of the Vedas and the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. He is believed to have lived around the 4th century BCE.
Another significant figure was Weda Bhatta, a renowned Indian scholar and philosopher who lived in the 9th century CE. He made significant contributions to the field of Indian logic and was widely respected for his intellectual prowess.
In the 12th century, Weda Deva was a prominent Hindu philosopher and logician who hailed from the Kashmir region. His works on Nyaya, the school of Indian logic, were highly influential and continue to be studied to this day.
During the 16th century, Weda Raya was a celebrated Telugu poet and scholar from the Vijayanagar Empire in southern India. His poetic works, including the famous "Kalinga Nartana Tilikas," are considered masterpieces of Telugu literature.
Another notable figure was Weda Prakash, a 17th-century Hindu philosopher and spiritual leader who played a significant role in the Bhakti movement, a devotional tradition that emphasized love and devotion to the divine.
While the name Weda has its origins in ancient India and is deeply rooted in Hindu philosophy and spirituality, it has also gained recognition in other parts of the world due to the global spread of Indian culture and traditions.
People
Weda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Weda 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
Weda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Weda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Weda 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Weda a common name?
We classify Weda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 68 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Weda most popular?
The single biggest year for Weda was 1934, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Weda is about 84 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 Weda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Weda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Weda 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 Weda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Weda 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 Weda 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 are called Weda?
You can see how many Americans are named Weda on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.