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Wanda as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Wanda

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The baby name Wanda is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced WON-dah (IPA: /ˈwɑːndə/ or /ˈwɒndə/).

Wanda is Slavic in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Slavic
Pronunciation: WON-dah (IPA: /ˈwɑːndə/ or /ˈwɒndə/)

What is the meaning of the name Wanda ?

The baby name Wanda is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced WON-dah (IPA: /ˈwɑːndə/ or /ˈwɒndə/).

Wanda is Slavic in Origin.

Wanda is a Slavic name of Polish provenance, attached to the legend of Princess Wanda, daughter of Krakus, who chose death in the Vistula rather than marry an invader. Its precise etymology is debated: some scholars connect it to Germanic ethnonyms for neighboring Slavs - the Wends - or the Vandals, while others leave the root unresolved. Accordingly, the meaning is often listed as uncertain, with associations to “Wend/Vandal” rather than a concrete lexical sense.

In Poland Wanda has long been traditional; the form Vanda appears across Central and Southern Europe (Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese). Polish diminutives include Wandzia and Wandka. The name spread into English usage in the late 19th century through literature and opera (e.g., Ouida’s novel Wanda and Dvořák’s Vanda), rising in the United States in the early to mid‑20th century. Modern bearers include comedian Wanda Sykes and singer Wanda Jackson, while Marvel’s Wanda Maximoff keeps the name familiar today.

Wanda has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Wanda

Wanda Hendrix Actor · Born 1928 · United States Wanda Hendrix was an American actress best known for her film work in the 1940s and 1950s, including Ride the Pink Horse, Prince of Foxes, and The Highwayman. She also appeared on television during her career. Wanda Ventham Actor · Born 1935 · United Kingdom Wanda Ventham is an English actress best known for her roles in the TV series UFO and Only Fools and Horses. She began acting in the 1950s and is especially remembered for playing Colonel Virginia Lake in UFO and Pamela Parry, Cassandra Trotter’s mother, in Only Fools and Horses.

Celebrity babies named Wanda

Name Last Name(s) Mother Mother famous for Fame Level Father Father famous for Fame Level
Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Arturo Toscanini musician ★★★★★

Wanda – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2023 #1 — 420
Ireland Girls 1968 #1 — 406
PR Girls 0 #6 436 3,171
HT Girls 0 #23 1 950
PR 0 #27 29 1,497
BN 0 #32 1 2,297
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
HN Girls 0 #38 1 884
MO 0 #50 3 2,706
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
PL Girls 0 #75 3,062 5,096
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
LT 0 #87 2 949
ID Girls 0 #89 10 3,319
TW 0 #100 4 4,523
QA 0 #105 2 7,011
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
HU 0 #113 3 1,675
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
Switzerland Girls 2024 #127 9 1,786
ID Boys 0 #132 4 4,130
MU 0 #137 1 3,613
RS Girls 0 #137 1 1,651
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
CR 0 #158 8 5,526
PL 0 #169 45 2,600
Sweden Girls 2022 #176 4 1,568
AR 0 #176 11 2,915
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
UY 0 #180 3 2,477
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
LU Girls 0 #186 5 4,850
AE 0 #187 1 10,220
AO Girls 0 #189 21 4,575
LT Girls 0 #200 1 1,904
NA Girls 0 #211 14 7,146
HU Girls 0 #219 7 3,308
AL Girls 0 #227 1 4,141
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
MO Girls 0 #238 14 7,056
GR Girls 0 #241 9 6,293
JP Girls 0 #246 6 6,592
PT 0 #246 5 4,161
AO Boys 0 #247 3 5,568
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
TW Girls 0 #254 23 8,139
TW Boys 0 #255 2 7,111
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
JM Girls 0 #275 4 7,507
SG 0 #280 3 11,010
Canada Girls 2021 #286 5 2,910
HR Girls 0 #292 3 3,687
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
DK Girls 0 #305 12 7,429
CZ Girls 0 #310 32 5,378
SA 0 #312 1 10,560
MY 0 #318 13 12,352
PL Boys 0 #320 16 6,459
CN Girls 0 #325 25 8,829
HK 0 #327 22 8,483
CN Boys 0 #329 3 9,639
BR 0 #330 16 5,969
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
MU Girls 0 #331 21 8,539
GT 0 #334 5 5,948
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
JO Girls 0 #337 3 7,570
QA Girls 0 #340 4 15,378
ZA 0 #341 107 14,421
NL 0 #353 39 2,481
SD Girls 0 #356 3 7,678
GH Boys 0 #359 3 8,138
BO 0 #363 19 6,868
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
IT Girls 0 #371 3,041 9,415
PH Girls 0 #378 13 13,098
OM Girls 0 #382 15 15,987
Austria Girls 0 #383 38 1,885
AR Girls 0 #385 254 8,289
ZA Boys 0 #386 1,481 25,619
PT Girls 0 #388 64 7,952
CL 0 #396 16 6,867
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
PA Girls 0 #401 81 9,861
France Girls 2021 #402 4 3,185
BD Girls 0 #405 2 8,413
PH Boys 0 #407 2 11,440
UY Boys 0 #409 5 5,922
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
UY Girls 0 #417 94 6,731
CR Girls 0 #420 113 11,342
Germany 0 #421 17 2,542
NL Girls 0 #426 703 5,933
MX 0 #442 4 8,339
Spain 0 #443 10 2,326
BO Girls 0 #457 160 9,488
CO 0 #460 21 7,768
SD Boys 0 #466 1 10,523
GT Girls 0 #469 37 7,500
AR Boys 0 #480 4 7,628
RU Girls 0 #487 12 11,913
HK Girls 0 #490 126 16,104
IR Girls 0 #502 29 8,334
PA Boys 0 #504 2 9,305
PS Girls 0 #510 14 10,981
IQ Girls 0 #524 2 11,303
CM Boys 0 #528 23 12,054
CM Girls 0 #530 11 11,671
AE Girls 0 #540 14 20,968
HK Boys 0 #550 8 12,905
SG Girls 0 #552 35 18,916
LY 0 #554 6 12,703
PS Boys 0 #558 4 10,655
KW Girls 0 #560 2 19,177
IR Boys 0 #565 1 10,162
BR Girls 0 #580 421 12,708
IT 0 #583 133 4,183
BH 0 #584 4 17,937
ZA Girls 0 #605 700 25,928
IN Girls 0 #606 26 13,121
IL Girls 0 #608 10 11,648
BO Boys 0 #621 2 9,244
IL Boys 0 #622 4 10,983
Germany Girls 0 #623 219 4,949
CL Girls 0 #674 178 14,098
Finland Girls 2026 #687 52 3,895
LB 0 #688 3 13,263
CL Boys 0 #693 8 13,390
IQ Boys 0 #696 2 13,071
SG Boys 0 #737 3 17,960
QA Boys 0 #741 3 18,093
NG Girls 0 #749 38 15,093
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
BR Boys 0 #781 5 12,213
MY Girls 0 #811 184 24,821
Spain Girls 0 #830 154 5,561
CO Girls 0 #850 233 16,140
TN 0 #861 5 13,765
PE Girls 0 #875 69 14,861
SA Girls 0 #890 46 25,931
United States Girls 2024 #891 26 8,487
OM Boys 0 #917 2 17,948
PE Boys 0 #925 2 14,506
EG Girls 0 #939 21 14,742
CO Boys 0 #975 7 15,656
NG Boys 0 #997 5 16,906
MY Boys 0 #1,024 88 25,439
MX Boys 0 #1,033 1 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,038 2 16,750
MX Girls 0 #1,109 75 17,781
MA 0 #1,110 19 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,142 2 22,615
DZ 0 #1,166 11 20,130
TR 0 #1,250 5 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,454 18 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,592 23 28,008

Wanda is popular in 84 countries — most recent births per country:

France
United States
Switzerland
Canada
Sweden

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Wanda

Wanda is predominantly a girl's name.
Wanda is a 2 syllable name, pronounced WON-dah (IPA: /ˈwɑːndə/ or /ˈwɒndə/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Vanda, Wandy, Wandzia, Wandusia and Wenda.
Across languages, Wanda has these equivalents: Vanda (Czech/Slovak/Portuguese), Wenda (English variant), Wendy (similar-sounding, not etymologically identical).
Yes, very popular — Wanda ranked #1 in Germany in 2023, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Wanda ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2023).
Wanda's popularity is rising. It moved from #409 in 2011 to #402 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 2 notable people named Wanda are in our database, including Wanda Hendrix (Actor), Wanda Ventham (Actor).
Yes — at least 1 celebrity couple has chosen Wanda for their child, including Arturo Toscanini.