Given name & surname
Wadell
“to cross the river ford”
Wadell is a variant of Wade. One English interpretation is “to cross the river ford.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Wadell is a variant of Wade. One English interpretation is “to cross the river ford.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Wadell 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 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Wadell 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
Wadell through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 316
- 316 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1932
- 14 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 1995. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 14 in 1932. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 177 as a first name in 2020; 434 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.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Wadell, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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80% boys · 20% girls
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“a friend of the sea”
>99% boys