Given name & surname
Wess
“from the western meadow”
Wess is a variant of Wesley. One English interpretation is “from the western meadow.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Wess is a variant of Wesley. One English interpretation is “from the western meadow.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Wess is a variant of Wesley. An origin associated with Wesley is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1883. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Wess through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 513
- 513 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1965
- 16 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #9,653 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,653 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 16 in 1965. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 461 as a first name in 2020; 1,167 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.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
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.
People named Wess
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Wess, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wayde
“to cross the river ford”
>99% boys
Wade
“to cross the river ford”
>99% boys
Dynell
“a man of the sea”
91% boys · 9% girls
Glen
“from the secluded narrow valley”
>99% boys
Val
“one who is strong and healthy” · “resembling a spring flower”
88% boys · 12% girls
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
>99% boys
Westleigh
“from the western meadow”
>99% boys
Rosheen
“horse” · “fame”
>99% boys