Wendolyn
Feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "white wave" or "white trail".
Name Census estimates that about 944 living Americans carry the first name Wendolyn. It is a predominantly female name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Wendolyn today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wendolyn births was 1966 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wendolyn. 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
944
~ 1 in 363,087 Americans
Peak year
1966
39 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1952 SSA rank
#4,245
Tracked since 1928
Gender
Gender distribution for Wendolyn
Out of the 1,168 babies given the name Wendolyn since 1880, 99.1% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Wendolyn as a male name
- Ranked #4,245 in 1952
- 5 male births in 1952
- Peak: 1932 (5 births)
Wendolyn as a female name
- Ranked #13,375 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1966 (39 births)
Popularity
Wendolyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wendolyn from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 324 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wendolyn 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 Wendolyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wendolyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Wendolyn, while Ohio, Louisiana, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wendolyn
The name Wendolyn is a feminine given name of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wend" meaning "to travel" and "lyn" meaning "lake" or "pool." It is believed to have emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD.
Wendolyn was a relatively uncommon name in medieval England, but it appeared sporadically in historical records and literature. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a woman named Wendolyn was listed as a landowner in the county of Gloucestershire.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Wendolyn of Dunstable was a respected nun and chronicler who documented the events of her time at the Priory of St. Mary in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. Her chronicle, known as the Annals of Dunstable, provided valuable insights into the history of medieval England.
During the Renaissance period, the name Wendolyn gained some popularity among the English gentry. In 1542, a woman named Wendolyn Fitzwilliam was recorded as the daughter of Sir William Fitzwilliam, a prominent courtier and landowner in Yorkshire.
In the 17th century, Wendolyn Portman, born in 1621, was a notable figure in the English Civil War. She was a staunch Royalist who supported King Charles I and played a role in the defense of her family's estate, Bryanston House, against the Parliamentarian forces.
Another historical figure with the name Wendolyn was Wendolyn Howard, born in 1768. She was an English author and poet who published several works, including a collection of poems titled "The Sylvan Wanderer" in 1813.
While not a widespread name throughout history, Wendolyn has maintained a presence in various records and literature, reflecting its English origins and connections to the concept of travel and bodies of water. Its unique blend of Old English elements has contributed to its distinct character and enduring legacy.
People
Wendolyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wendolyn 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
Wendolyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wendolyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 944 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wendolyn 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 363,087 US residents.
Is Wendolyn a common name?
We classify Wendolyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,168 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wendolyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Wendolyn was 1966, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wendolyn is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wendolyn a female name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Wendolyn 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.
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.