Names Starting with W

gender
usage
Witołd m Polish (Archaic)
Polish variant of Witold.
Witold m Polish
Polish form of Vytautas. Alternatively it could be derived from the Old German name Widald.
Witosław m Polish
Polish form of Vítězslav.
Władek m Polish
Diminutive of Władysław.
Władysław m Polish
Polish form of Vladislav. This was the name of four kings of Poland.
Włodek m Polish
Diminutive of Włodzimierz.
Włodzimierz m Polish
Polish cognate of Vladimir.
Wob m Frisian (Archaic)
Frisian diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element walt meaning "power, authority".
Wobbe m Frisian
Originally a Frisian short form of Waldebert (and other names starting with the Old German element walt meaning "power, authority" and a second element beginning with b).
Wodan m Germanic Mythology
Old High German form of *Wōdanaz (see Odin).
Wōdanaz m Germanic Mythology (Hypothetical)
Proto-Germanic reconstruction of Odin, Wodan and Woden.
Woden m Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Anglo-Saxon form of *Wōdanaz (see Odin). The day of the week Wednesday is named for him.
Wojciech m Polish
Derived from the Slavic elements vojĭ "warrior, soldier" and utěxa "solace, comfort, joy". Saint Wojciech (also known by the Czech form of his name Vojtěch or his adopted name Adalbert) was a Bohemian missionary to Hungary, Poland and Prussia, where he was martyred in the 10th century.
Wojciecha f Polish (Rare)
Feminine form of Wojciech.
Wojtek m Polish
Diminutive of Wojciech.
Wolf m German, Jewish, English (Rare), Germanic
Short form of Wolfgang, Wolfram and other names containing the Old German element wolf meaning "wolf" (Proto-Germanic *wulfaz). It can also be simply from the German or English word. As a Jewish name it can be considered a vernacular form of Zeev.
Wolfdietrich m Literature, German (Rare)
Compound of Wolf and Dietrich. Wolfdietrich is the title hero of a 13th-century Middle High German epic poem. By some traditions he is the grandfather of the more famous hero Dietrich von Bern.
Wolfe m English (Rare)
Variant of Wolf, influenced by the spelling of the surname (which is also derived from the animal).
Wolfgang m German, Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements wolf meaning "wolf" and gang meaning "path, way". Saint Wolfgang was a 10th-century bishop of Regensburg. Two other famous bearers of this name were Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).
Wolfhard m German
Derived from the Old German element wolf meaning "wolf" combined with hart meaning "hard, firm, brave, hardy".
Wolfram m German
Derived from the Old German element wolf meaning "wolf" combined with hram meaning "raven". Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of Parzival.
Wöllem m Limburgish
Limburgish form of William.
Wolodymyr m Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Володимир (see Volodymyr).
Wolter m Dutch
Dutch variant form of Walter.
Wongani m & f Chewa
Means "be thankful" in Chewa.
Woodie m English
Variant of Woody.
Woodrow m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English. It was borne by the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), who was given his mother's maiden name as his middle name (his first name was Thomas). During his candidacy and presidency (1912-1921) the name became popular, reaching the 44th rank in 1913, though it quickly declined after that.
Woody m English
Either a diminutive of names containing wood such as Woodrow, or else from a nickname derived from the English word wood. Famous bearers include the folk singer Woodrow "Woody" Guthrie (1912-1967), the comedian and film director Heywood "Woody" Allen (1935-; born as Allan Stewart Konigsberg), and the actor Woodrow "Woody" Harrelson (1961-). It is also borne by the cartoon characters Woody Woodpecker (debuting 1940) and Woody from the Toy Story movies (beginning 1995).
Woo-Jin m Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 우진 (see U-Jin).
Workneh m Amharic
Means "you are gold", from Amharic ወርቅ (warq) meaning "gold".
Worknesh f Amharic
Feminine form of Workneh.
Wout m Dutch
Short form of Wouter.
Wouter m Dutch
Dutch form of Walter.
Wren f English (Modern)
From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.
Wrenley f English (Modern)
Elaboration of Wren using the popular name suffix ley.
Wright m English
From an occupational surname meaning "craftsman", ultimately from Old English wyrhta. Famous bearers of the surname were the Wright brothers (Wilbur 1867-1912 and Orville 1871-1948), the inventors of the first successful airplane, and Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), an American architect.
Wu m & f Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "military, martial" (which is generally only masculine) or () 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 ) who expanded the empire and made Confucianism the state philosophy.
Wubbe m Frisian
Variant of Wobbe.
Wukong m Literature
Means "awakened to emptiness", from Chinese () meaning "enlightenment, awakening" and (kōng) meaning "empty, hollow, sky". This is the name of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West.
Wulan f Javanese
Javanese form of Bulan.
Wulf m German
Variant of Wolf.
Wulfflæd f Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wulf "wolf" and flæd, possibly meaning "beauty".
Wulfgang m Germanic
Old German form of Wolfgang.
Wulfgifu f Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wulf "wolf" and giefu "gift".
Wulfhard m Germanic
Old German form of Wolfhard.
Wulfhram m Germanic
Old German form of Wolfram.
Wulfila m Gothic (Hypothetical)
Means "little wolf", from a diminutive of the Gothic element wulfs. This was the name of a 4th-century Gothic bishop and missionary. He translated the New Testament into Gothic.
Wulfnoð m Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wulf "wolf" and noð "boldness, daring". This name became rare after the Norman Conquest.
Wulfram m Germanic
Old German form of Wolfram.
Wulfric m Anglo-Saxon
Old English name meaning "wolf ruler", from the elements wulf "wolf" and ric "ruler, king".
Wulfrun f Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wulf "wolf" and run "secret lore, rune". This was the name of a 10th-century English noblewoman who founded the city of Wolverhampton.
Wulfruna f History
Form of Wulfrun sometimes used in reference to the 10th-century noblewoman.
Wulfsige m Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wulf "wolf" and sige "victory".
Wulfstan m Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wulf "wolf" and stan "stone".
Wulfwynn f Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wulf "wolf" and wynn "joy".
Wullem m Limburgish
Limburgish form of William.
Wum m Limburgish
Short form of Wullem.
Wyatt m English
From an English surname that was derived from the medieval given name Wyard or Wyot, from the Old English name Wigheard. Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) was an American lawman and gunfighter involved in the famous shootout at the OK Corral.
Wybert m Medieval English
Middle English form of Wigberht.
Wymond m Medieval English
Middle English form of the Old English name Wigmund, composed of the elements wig "battle" and mund "protection".
Wyn m Welsh
Derived from Welsh gwyn meaning "white, blessed".
Wynn m Welsh
Variant of Wyn.
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.
Wynnflæd f Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wynn "joy" and flæd, possibly meaning "beauty".
Wynnstan m Anglo-Saxon
Derived from the Old English elements wynn "joy" and stan "stone".
Wynona f English
Variant of Winona.
Wyot m Medieval English
Middle English form of Wigheard.
Wystan m English (Rare)
From the Old English name Wigstan, composed of the elements wig "battle" and stan "stone". This was the name of a 9th-century Anglo-Saxon saint. It became rare after the Norman Conquest, and in modern times it is chiefly known as the first name of the British poet W. H. Auden (1907-1973).