Browse Names - Behind the Name

Wallis m & f English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Wallace. Wallis Simpson (1895-1986) was the divorced woman whom Edward VIII married, which forced him to abdicate the British throne.

Wambdi m & f Sioux
Dakota form of Wambli.

Wambli m & f Sioux
From Lakota waŋblí meaning "eagle".

Wanangwa m & f Tumbuka
Means "freedom" in Tumbuka.

Wangchuk m & f Tibetan, Bhutanese
Means "mighty" in Tibetan, from དབང (dbang) meaning "power" and ཕྱུག (phyug) meaning "wealthy, possessing". This is the Tibetan name for the god Shiva.

Wattana f & m Thai
Means "development" in Thai.

Waverly f & m English
From the rare English surname Waverley, derived from the name of a place in Surrey, itself possibly from Old English wæfre "flickering, wavering" and leah "woodland, clearing".... [more]

Wayan m & f Balinese
From Balinese wayah meaning "old, mature", ultimately from Sanskrit वयस् (vayas) meaning "energy, strength, age". This name is traditionally given to the first-born child.

Wei m & f Chinese
From Chinese 威 (wēi) meaning "power, pomp", 巍 (wēi) meaning "high, lofty, towering" or 伟 (wěi) meaning "great, robust, extraordinary". As a feminine name it can come from 微 (wēi) meaning "small" or 薇 (wēi) meaning "fern". This name can be formed by other Chinese characters besides those shown here.

Wen m & f Chinese
From Chinese 文 (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation. A famous bearer was the 2nd-century BC Emperor Wen of Han (posthumous name).

Whetū f & m Maori
Means "star" in Maori.

Whitney f & m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "white island" in Old English. Its popular use as a feminine name was initiated by actress Whitney Blake (1925-2002) in the 1960s, and further boosted in the 1980s by singer Whitney Houston (1963-2012).

Wil m & f English, Dutch
Short form of William and other names beginning with Wil.

Willie m & f English
Masculine or feminine diminutive of William. Notable bearers include the retired American baseball player Willie Mays (1931-) and the musician Willie Nelson (1933-).

Willoughby m & f English (Rare)
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "willow town" in Old English.

Willy m & f English, German, Dutch
Diminutive of William, Wilhelm or Willem. It is both masculine and feminine in Dutch.

Wilmot m & f Medieval English
Medieval diminutive and feminine form of William.

Win m & f Burmese
Means "bright, radiant, brilliant" in Burmese.

Windsor m & f English (Rare)
From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "riverbank with a windlass" in Old English (a windlass is a lifting apparatus). This has been the surname of the royal family of the United Kingdom since 1917.

Winslow m & f English (Rare)
From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning "hill belonging to Wine". A famous bearer of this name was American painter Winslow Homer (1836-1910).

Wisdom f & m English (Rare)
Simply from the English word, a derivative of Old English wis "wise".

Wongani m & f Chewa
Means "be thankful" in Chewa.

Wu m & f Chinese
From Chinese 武 (wǔ) meaning "military, martial" (which is generally only masculine) or 务 (wù) meaning "affairs, business", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly. This was the name of several Chinese rulers, including the 2nd-century BC emperor Wu of Han (a posthumous name, spelled 武) who expanded the empire and made Confucianism the state philosophy.

Wynne 1 m & f Welsh
Variant of Wyn, sometimes used as a feminine form.

Wynne 2 m & f English (Rare)
From an English surname that was derived from the given name Wine.

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