Given name & surname
Waldo
“a powerful ruler”
Waldo is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a powerful ruler.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a powerful ruler.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Waldo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,722
- 5,716 boys · 6 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 174 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,906 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −56%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,906 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 174 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,608 as a first name in 2020; 4,421 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.
Waldo’s family of names
In English usage, Waldo has a diminutive in Wally. In English usage, Waldo has a related form in Waldef. In English usage, Waldo has a related form in Waldeve.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
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.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Waldo
- Waldo PonceChilean footballerborn 1982
- Waldo FrankAmerican novelist, historian, political activist and literary critic (1889–1967)
- Waldo SaltAmerican screenwriter (1914-1987)
- Waldo L. ParraChilean lawyer and novelistborn 1965
- Waldo Rubioassociation football playerborn 1995
- Waldo of Reichenaucarolingian bishop740–814
- Waldo R. ToblerAmerican geographer (1930–2018)
- Waldo VieiraBrazilian author and psychical researcher1932–2015
- Waldo WilliamsWelsh poet (1904–1971)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Waldo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Webster
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Willard
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Walton
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Wilbur
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Weldon
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Worth
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Wilfred
“one who wishes for peace”
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Welton
“from the town near the well”
>99% boys