Given name & surname
Waddell
“to cross the river ford”
Waddell is a variant of Wade. One English interpretation is “to cross the river ford.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Waddell is a variant of Wade. One English interpretation is “to cross the river ford.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Waddell is a variant of Wade. An origin associated with Wade is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1908. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Waddell is a variant of Wade. The history of Wade gives this family its wider story. Wade’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Waddell through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 780
- 780 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 22 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1990. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 22 in 1947. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 301 as a first name in 2020; 20,000 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Waddell’s family of names
Waddell has a related form in Wade. In English usage, Waddell as a surname has a related form in WEDDLE. In English usage, Waddell as a surname has a conventional equivalent in the Russian form Уодделл.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Waddell, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Woody
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Fairley
“from the far meadow”
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Avon
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Dahl
“from the valley; resembling the flower”
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Glade
“from the meadow in the C woods” · “from the clearing in the woods”
>99% boys
Wayde
“to cross the river ford”
>99% boys
Mervyn
“a friend of the sea”
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Lindon
“from the hill of lime trees” · “from the lime tree”
>99% boys