Updated: by Jeremy Phillips | Leave a comment
From William to Willow and every W baby name in between, there are some wonderful options for your little one on this list of W names.
- Wendell
- Wrenley— Wrenley was first ranked on the list of the most popular baby girl names in 2020.
- Waylen— Waylen isn't yet a top 1,000 baby name in the United States, but Waylen has been shooting up the list over the last few years. As of 2021, it ranks at number 69.
- Winona
- William— William has been popular for over 1,000 years, and it has never left the top 20 list on the Social Security Index, proving its popularity.
- Witten
- Wylie
- Westlyn— Westlyn became somewhat popular in 2017 when actor Josh Brolin and his wife Kathryn welcomed their daughter Westlyn Reign.
- Wyatt— Wyatt as a name was sometimes used as a nickname for William during the Middle Ages even though the two names do not share a common origin.
- Wylder— Wylder is the unique alternative to the given name Wilder. The name Wilder first appeared among the top 1,000 baby names for boys as the 963rd most popular name in 2015, and it has ranked among the top 500 boy names since 2019. Experts predict that Wylder will follow suit and become top name for boys in the coming decades.
- Warner— Warner ranked among the top 1,000 baby names for boys from 1900-1963.
- Wells— Wells is also becoming a popular celebrity baby name. Businesswoman and pregnancy expert Rosie Pope chose the name for her little boy. Golfer Patrick Reed also chose the name for his child.
- Wesley— Wesley may have become popularized as a baby name in an effort to honor the founders of Methodism, John and Charles Wesley. There is a chance, however, that these brothers were even from the towns called Westley in England.
- Watson
- Wilfredo— Wilfredo comes from the words "wille" and "frieden" that mean "will" and "peace" in German.
- Wolfgang
- Wilder— Wilder is only recently becoming noticed as a first name. It is more readily known as a surname, as seen with Alec Wilder, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Gene Wilder, and more.
- Willem— Willem was the 57th most popular baby name for boys born in the Netherlands in 2020. The name Willem ranked among the top 50 baby boy names in the Netherlands from 2008-2010, and it has ranked among the top 100 Dutch boy names from 2011-2020.
- Weston— Weston has ranked among the top 150 baby boy names since 2013.
- Winifred
- Wilhelmina— Wilhelmina ranked among the top 500 names for girls born in the United States from 1900-1925. It is also the namesake of the song "Wilhelmina" by Freddy Martin.
- Wesson— Wesson as a name is probably best known as the surname of one of the founders of the firearm company Smith & Wesson, Daniel Baird Wesson.
- Waverly
- Wes— Wes as a given name owes some popularity to famous director Wes Anderson and actor Wes Craven. Ironically, both men’s name is Wesley and Wes only a nickname.
- Willow— Willow is a popular baby name among celebrities. Singer Pink and her husband Carey Hart named their daughter Willow Sage. Will and Jada Pinkett Smith also named their daughter Willow, as did former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Rocker Dave Grohl has a daughter named Harper Willow.
- Winnie
- Westyn— Westyn is nowhere near as popular as the original, Weston. As of 2022, Westyn is number 1,035. Weston is on the top 100 list as of this year.
- Walter— Walter became popularized in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with the introduction of Walter Scott and Sir Walter Raleigh. It is popular again now because of the love of vintage names.
- Wallace— Wallace is most popular because of its use as a surname, especially when considering William Wallace. The movie "Braveheart" was about the story of this man.
- Walker— Walker has been the middle name for two presidents. George Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st president of the United States. He served from 1989 to 1993. His son, George Walker Bush, was the 43rd president who served from 2001 until 2009.
- Waylon— Waylon as a baby name entered the top 1000 boy’s names in 1968 in no small part due to the popularity of country singer-songwriter Waylon Jennings. His son, Waylon “Shooter” Jennings Jr, contributed to the name’s jump in popularity in the mid 00’s.
- Wiley
- Warren— Warren ranked among the top 100 baby boy names from the late 1910s through the early 1930s.
- Whitley— Whitley first appeared among the top 1,000 baby name for girls in 1988 and remained popular throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some experts attribute this popularity to the influence of Whitley Gilbert, a quintessential Southern belle on the television show A Different World. After a hiatus from the popularity list, Whitley reemerged as a top baby girl name in 2018 and has remained a rising favorite ever since.
- Westley— Westley will forever remind us of the handsome, blonde hero of The Princess Bride.
- Wade— Wade is a popular character from Old English folklore. He's a giant who comes from the ocean, and many believe he controls the rhythm of the water in the Baltic and North Seas. He's been mentioned in poems and stories throughout history and is seen by some as a demon and by others as a watchman.
- Willa— Willa has become quite a popular baby name in recent years. Playwright David Mamet, actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, actress Keri Russell, singer Thomas Rhett and singer Joe Jonas all have daughters with the name.
- Wendy— Wendy was not a popular standalone name until the play "Peter Pan" came out in 1904. J.M. Barrie found inspiration from a nickname, "fwendy." This diminutive translated to "friend."
- Whitney— Whitney as a given name owes its rise in popularity to famous actress Whitney Blake and iconic musician Whitney Houston.
- Wilson
- Wilmer
- Willie
- Winston— Winston is the name of a cigarette brand too. This brand likely received inspiration from the power of Winston Churchill since in most photos, he is smoking a cigar.
- Wren— Wren was the nickname given to the Women's Royal Naval Service, which was the female branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy that formed before the first World War.
- Will— Will has a namesake in Will Scarlet, one of Robin Hood’s merry men. Will Scarlet is often depicted as hot headed, usually younger than the others and often Robin Hood’s nephew or half-brother.
- Westin
- Wayne
- Winter— Winter as a given name is a recent trend but the other seasons have been popular for decades. Winter hasn’t surpassed Autumn or Summer yet but it is still on the rise.
- Wynter
And of course, if you'd like to discover more gender-specific names, you can check out baby boy names that start with W and baby girl names that start with W.
Keep This in Mind When Picking a Unique Baby Name
Picking out a name that stands out from the crowd is a great idea! Giving your child a unique name will help it mean something special to them. When looking for a unique baby name, however, it's important to keep the following in mind.
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It's important to consider the “livability” of a name. What does that mean? The livability of a name refers to how the name will be perceived in the real world. While in an ideal world everyone would treat one another the same, that unfortunately isn't the case. If your child has a name that's extremely unusual, it will invite bias from their peers. Some children love to pick on those who stand out from the crowd.
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In addition, your child may face bias from future employers or colleges if they have a really unusual name. This is an unfortunate but real part of our world. Hopefully, one day it will change! Picking out a unique name for your baby is a fantastic idea, but it's important to find a balance between uniqueness and livability.
