Wendy

Where Wendy comes from

Popularized by the character in J. M. Barrie's play, Peter Pan (1904), though occasionally found earlier; the author explained that he got it from Fwendy-Wendy ("friend"), a nickname given to him by a child. Alternatively, from a diminutive of the Welsh Gwendolen; or from Wendelin, a diminutive of Wendel; therefore a doublet of Gwen. A habitational forename meaning, "island at the river bend", from Old English wende (“watercourse with a bend”) + ēġ (“island”).
— Wiktionary's entry for Wendy
  • 2 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1912
    Wendy Hiller born
    English film and stage actress
  2. 1918
    First appearance
    #4,809 among girls, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1939
    Wendy Carlos born
    American composer and electronic musician
  4. 1970
    Peak, #28
    11,100 babies named Wendy — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1978
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #56.
In the dictionary
  • A female given name.
Namesakes
  • Wendy Hiller · English film and stage actress, 1912–2003
  • Wendy Carlos · American composer and electronic musician, born 1939
  • Wendy B. Lawrence · US astronaut and Navy Captain, born 1959
  • Wendy Williams · American media personality, born 1964
  • Wendy Schaal · American actress, born 1954

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.