Given name & surname
Wendy
“one who is fair; of the white ring”
Wendy is a form of Gwendolyn. One Welsh interpretation is “one who is fair; of the white ring.”
Original WelshGwendolen
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Welsh use, Wendy carries the interpretation “one who is fair; of the white ring.” Wendy is a form of Gwendolyn. One Welsh interpretation is “one who is fair; of the white ring.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Welsh.
How it developed
Wendy is used as a form of Gwendolyn.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Wendy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 263,276
- 951 boys · 262,325 girls
- Most popular year
- 1967
- 11,259 babies
- 2025
- 165
- #1,347 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 165 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,347 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 23.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 11,223 in 1967. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (17). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 257,751 as a first name in 2020; 130 as a surname in 2000.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Wendy’s family of names
In English usage, Wendy is a diminutive of Wendel. In English usage, Wendy shares an earlier linguistic root with Gwen. Wendy is a form of Gwendolyn.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Wendy has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its Welsh roots to each of them.
Welshwhere Wendy comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 18
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Gwendolynbase name
- Gwendoublet · English
- Gwendolineequivalent
- Gwendolinequivalent
- Guendalinaequivalent
- ВендиRussian
- ウェンディーJapanese
- ウェンディJapanese
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People named Wendy
- Wendy HillerEnglish film and stage actress (1912-2003)
- Wendy CarlosAmerican composer and electronic musician (born 1939)
- Wendy B. LawrenceUS astronaut and Navy Captainborn 1959
- Wendie MalickAmerican film, television and voice actressborn 1950
- Wendy WilliamsAmerican media personality (born 1964)
- Wendy SchaalAmerican actressborn 1954
- Wendy HoldenerSwiss alpine skierborn 1993
- Wendy BrownAmerican political theoristborn 1955
- Wendy CrewsonCanadian actressborn 1956
Characters named Wendy: Wendy Darling (character created by J.M. Barrie), Wendy Torrance (female fictional character and protagonist of the 1977 horror novel The Shining).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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