Given name
Wava
“a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger”·“foreign woman”
Wava is a form of Barbara. Interpretations include “foreign woman” and “a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Slavic use, Wava carries the interpretation “a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger.” Wava is a form of Barbara. Interpretations include “foreign woman” and “a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Slavic.
How it developed
Wava is used as a form of Barbara.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1892. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Wava through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,727
- 0 boys · 1,727 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 60 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 girls is 7 in 1987. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 60 in 1924. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 549 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Wava’s family of names
Wava is a form of Barbara. Wava has a related form in Wavah. Wava has a related form in Wavia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
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 Wava, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Rada is a feminine given name from Proto-Slavic. It is used in English and Czech.
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“willow”
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“resembling a tulip”
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Vlasta
“a friendly and likeable woman”
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“my daughter is my love”
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Vira
Vira is a feminine given name from Ukrainian.
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Ludmila
“having the favor of the people”
>99% girls