Wentworth
A masculine name of English origin meaning "estate on the winding road".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Wentworth. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wentworth today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wentworth births was 1921 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wentworth. 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 Wentworth is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wentworths were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wentworth. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1921
10 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1947 SSA rank
#3,368
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Wentworth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wentworth from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 27 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wentworth 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 Wentworth 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 Wentworth
The name Wentworth has its origins in the English language and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "wenten" and "wurth," which together translate to "winding estate" or "encircling homestead." This suggests that the name was originally used to describe a person who lived on a winding or encircled estate or property.
During the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, many Norman-French names were introduced to the region, but Wentworth remained a distinctly English name. It is believed to have first appeared in written records in the late 12th century, as a surname for families living in various parts of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wentworth being used as a first name dates back to the 13th century. Sir Wentworth de Wentworth was a prominent English knight and landowner who lived during the reign of King Edward I (1272-1307). His family's ancestral home was located in the village of Wentworth in South Yorkshire, which likely contributed to the name's popularity in that region.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, the name Wentworth was primarily associated with nobility and aristocracy in England. Notable individuals who bore this name include Sir Thomas Wentworth (1501-1551), an English nobleman and member of Parliament during the reign of King Henry VIII, and Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1593-1641), a prominent statesman and advisor to King Charles I.
In the 18th century, Wentworth became a popular name among the wealthy and influential families of New England in the American colonies. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Wentworth Cheswell (1746-1817), an American lawyer, judge, and influential political figure during the American Revolutionary War.
Other notable individuals with the first name Wentworth throughout history include:
1. Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl of Roscommon (1633-1685), an English poet and critic during the Restoration period.
2. Wentworth Miller (born 1972), an American actor best known for his role in the television series "Prison Break."
3. Wentworth Woodhouse (1772-1835), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament.
4. Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Viscount Allendale (1829-1907), a British diplomat and politician who served as Governor of New South Wales, Australia.
5. Wentworth M. Rogers (1853-1939), an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from Massachusetts.
While the name Wentworth has declined in popularity in recent decades, it remains a distinctive and historic name with deep roots in English culture and aristocracy.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Wentworth
People
Wentworth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wentworth 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
Wentworth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wentworth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wentworth 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Wentworth a common name?
We classify Wentworth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 62 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wentworth most popular?
The single biggest year for Wentworth was 1921, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wentworth is about 90 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wentworth a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wentworth 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.
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.