Wendy
Coined by J. M. Barrie for Peter Pan in 1904, from a child’s nickname for him, “fwendy.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Wendy first shows up in the national records in 1918. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 26 different years between 1954 and 1981. Its biggest year was 1967, when 11,223 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 32 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1970, at No. 28. All told, 263,276 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Wendi (14,522), Wendie (2,200), Wendee (790) (total births since 1880)
Explore Wendy interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | No. 4809 |
| 1920s | 45 | No. 2256 |
| 1930s | 583 | No. 450 |
| 1940s | 8,423 | No. 122 |
| 1950s | 42,675 | No. 83 |
| 1960s | 88,963 | No. 29 |
| 1970s | 74,185 | No. 28 |
| 1980s | 22,268 | No. 75 |
| 1990s | 11,080 | No. 206 |
| 2000s | 9,577 | No. 253 |
| 2010s | 3,371 | No. 589 |
| 2020s | 1,150 | No. 1095 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.