Wyolene
A feminine name likely derived from the English name Gwendoline.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Wyolene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wyolene today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wyolene births was 1914 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wyolene. 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 Wyolene is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wyolenes were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wyolene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1914
8 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1932 SSA rank
#4,405
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Wyolene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wyolene from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 31 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Wyolene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wyolene 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 Wyolene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wyolenes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Wyolene
The name Wyolene is thought to be of Native American origin, derived from the Wiyot tribe that inhabited parts of what is now California. The Wiyot language was spoken in the region around the present-day city of Eureka, near Humboldt Bay. Wyolene is believed to be a feminine form of the name Wiyot, possibly meaning "to flow" or "to spread out" in reference to the tribe's coastal homeland.
There are no known historical references or ancient texts mentioning the name Wyolene specifically. It is a relatively modern name that seems to have emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century, likely inspired by the Wiyot tribe and their language.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Wyolene was Wyolene Tompkins (1901-1985), an American artist and illustrator known for her work in children's books and magazines. Another notable bearer of the name was Wyolene Raab (1920-2010), an American businesswoman who co-founded the successful Raab Truck Lines company in Ohio.
In the realm of literature, Wyolene Willey (1926-2014) was an American author and educator who wrote several books on teaching and education. Wyolene Mercer (1928-2015) was a noted American librarian and archivist, serving as the director of the Washburn University Library in Topeka, Kansas.
A more contemporary figure with the name is Wyolene Yzaguirre (born 1957), an American politician and activist who served as the president of the National Council of La Raza, a prominent Hispanic civil rights organization.
While not a common name, Wyolene has been used throughout various regions of the United States, particularly in areas with significant Native American populations or connections to the Wiyot tribe's homeland in Northern California.
People
Wyolene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wyolene 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
Wyolene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wyolene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wyolene 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Wyolene a common name?
We classify Wyolene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 64 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wyolene most popular?
The single biggest year for Wyolene was 1914, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wyolene is about 81 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 Wyolene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wyolene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wyolene 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 Wyolene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wyolene 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 Wyolene 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 share the name Wyolene?
You can see how many Americans are named Wyolene on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.