Baby Girl Names That Begin With W
Unusual and Unique Female Name Choices for Little Girls
Mar 2, 2008
If you're looking for an unusual name for a little girl, consider a name that begins with the letter W. According to the U.S. Social Security Baby Name Index, the letter W is most certainly out of vogue, as the highest ranked W name for girls in #2006 (Wendy) was all the way down at #354! Nonetheless, a number of beautiful and unique names begin with W, so if you're looking for something different, check out these names.
Wendy. Wendy was a fairly popular name in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s, and it reached its peak in 1970 at #28. Today, it's fallen from favor, but parents looking for something familiar but uncommon might consider this pretty name. The name has interesting origins. Although Wendy has been occasionally used as a nickname for Gwendolyn or Wanda, it came into use as a stand-alone name after the introduction of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan in 1904.
Willow. This tree-name brings two popular culture references to mind: (1) the Buffy the Vampire Slayer character and (2) actor Will Smith's daughter and namesake (is that cute or what?) Despite these influences, this funky name is hardly used and ranked at #529 in 2006.
Whitney. Whitney is an interesting phenomenon. Peaking at #32 in 1987, Whitney was trendy during the 1980s and was part of that Ashley-Courtney-Brittany trend. However, while some of these names are still around-- especially Ashley, which was #12 in 2006-- Whitney has plunged down to #531. Of course, this almost certainly relates to the rise and fall of namesake Whitney Houston.
Winter. Summer is always a moderately popular name, but few parents use the name Winter--so why not snatch this up for your winter baby? If you happen to have a child on Groundhog Day, Winter would be a whimsical choice.
Wren. A wren is a small brown bird, and the name of the youngest child in the comic strip Baby Blues. It's also the last name of Christopher Wren, architect of St. Paul's Cathedral. If you like birds, this is a unique alternative to Robin.
Winona/Wynona. Thanks to Winona Ryder and Wynona Judd, these names have strong popular culture associations-- although Ms. Ryder's name actually comes from a town in Minnesota. Neither name is used very often.
Willa. Female versions of William have never been very popular. Willa is an especially distinctive choice, as it's the name of My Antonia author Willa Cather. Another variation, Wilma, is too "yabba dabba doo" for most parents, and Wilhemina is just a bit too old-fashioned.
Wanda. Wanda reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s, but it's rarely used today. Wanda is derived from a Slavic name that means "tribe of the vandals."
Winnie. No doubt thanks to the Pooh, Winnie isn't used as a first name much. But keep in mind the other famous owner of this name, Winnie Mandela. On The Cosby Show, eldest daughter Sondra named her twins Winnie and Nelson, after the Mandelas. The name was originally a nickname for Winifred, which probably isn't going to be making a comeback soon.
Wyoming. Western place names are all the rage-- Phoenix, Dakota, Austin-- so why not Wyoming? Two of the cities in this state have become names-- Cheyenne and Cody-- so perhaps the state is soon to follow.
See also:
Baby Girl Names That Begin With G
Baby Girl Names That Begin With V
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