Wonda
Possibly derived from the word "wonder" or a variant of the feminine name "Wanda".
Name Census estimates that about 1,141 living Americans carry the first name Wonda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wonda today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wonda births was 1959 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wonda. 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 Wonda is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wondas were born before 1970.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 300,398 Americans
Peak year
1959
67 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1986 SSA rank
#9,522
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Wonda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wonda from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 537 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wonda 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 Wonda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wondas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Wonda, while Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 37 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wonda
The name Wonda originated from the Old English word "wundor," which means "miracle" or "wonder." It has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon language spoken in parts of what is now England and southeastern Scotland. The name first appeared in written records around the 8th century AD, during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Wonda was Wonda the Wise, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the 9th century AD. He was known for his treatises on theology and ethics, which influenced the intellectual discourse of his time. Another notable figure was Wonda the Brave, a Saxon warrior who fought alongside King Alfred the Great in the 9th century AD, playing a pivotal role in the defense against Viking invasions.
In the 11th century AD, Wonda the Scribe gained recognition for her beautiful calligraphy and illuminated manuscripts. She was a skilled artist who worked in the scriptoria of monasteries, creating intricate works of art that adorned religious texts. During the same period, Wonda the Healer was a renowned herbalist and midwife, renowned for her knowledge of medicinal plants and her compassionate care for the sick and expecting mothers.
The name Wonda also appeared in various literary works throughout history. In the epic poem "Beowulf," one of the oldest surviving works of Old English literature, a character named Wonda is mentioned as a wise and respected elder. Additionally, in the 14th century, a character named Wonda appeared in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, reflecting the enduring popularity of the name during the Middle Ages.
Throughout the centuries, the name Wonda has been borne by many notable individuals. Wonda the Explorer, born in 1532, was a renowned navigator and cartographer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his circumnavigation of the globe. In the 19th century, Wonda Nightingale (1820-1910) was a pioneering nurse and social reformer who made significant contributions to the professionalization of nursing and improving healthcare standards.
People
Wonda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wonda 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
Wonda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wonda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,141 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wonda 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 300,398 US residents.
Is Wonda a common name?
We classify Wonda as "Rare". It ranks above 90.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,776 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wonda most popular?
The single biggest year for Wonda was 1959, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wonda is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wonda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wonda 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.