By Brynn McKeon · Updated September 2026
Across 4 pages
of 4
German, pet form of names such as Waldemar
"to rule"
Its jaunty o-ending makes this name more appealing than most of its Germanic brothers, and we hope we're beyond the constant response to his name being "Where's Waldo?" The weighty reputation of…
Word name
Asking for trouble.
German
"wolf raven"
This powerful old name can actually be traced back to two distinct sources. As an Old German name, Wolfram (borne by the medieval poet Wolfram von Eschenbach) derives from a combination of wolf +…
English
"wolf power"
Most famous as one of the many middle names of Professor Dumbledore from Harry Potter , Wulfric is an earlier form of the medieval English name Ulric. It has also belonged to an 11th- century Earl of…
"windy"
And her sisters, Stormy and Sunny.
English word name
"whimsical or fanciful"
Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers'…
"farm near the willows; willow town"
With Willow and Willa becoming more popular for girls, surname-style Willoughby could be a more unusual alternative. Meaning "farm near the willows" or "willow town", depending on how you interpret…
American diminutive of Winifred, Welsh
"blessed peacemaking"
Winnet is a long-forgotten nickname for Winifred that was used in the US in the 18th and 19th centuries. These days, it's more often found in South Africa.
Maori
"Christmas orchid"
With the rise of all those other popular feminine W names, like Winnie, Willa and Winona, why not consider the lovely Winika? Win and Winnie are likely nicknames and it is associated with a dainty…
Polish
"glory of the Wends"
Should only be used when singing Christmas carols.
"undulating"
Short for Waverly or a fresh twist on Navy, Wavy is a quirky and interesting new word name option.
Diminutive of Wolfgang, German
"traveling wolf"
A domesticated take on Wolf, if the animal name is too ferocious for your liking. Wolfie has never charted as a given name in the US, but that may soon change now that Wolf names are of interest…
English from Gaelic
"water of life"
Brandy's son, Sherry's grandson. The word whiskey was derived from the Gaelic uisce beatha , meaning "water of life."
Wrecker is a new entry to the newly trendy group of badass baby names -- names mostly for boys that sound wild (or Wilder) and summon the kind of kid that races around (Racer), breaking things…
Animal name or diminutive of Wolfgang
"traveling Wolf"
Notable Wolfs like Blitzer, Mankowitz, and Kahn give this name a masculine bent, but nature names are inherently unisex, so we see no reason why Wolf can't be used on a baby girl. Historically Wolf…
Cherokee
"wolf"
Waya pays homage to the wolf — one of the most respected creatures in Native American culture.
Energetic Willoughby is a familiar last name, but, as yet, makes for a unique choice in the first spot. An unexpected way to get to popular short forms Will and Billy, Willoughby could make an…
"cat"
Feline choice that could work well on a boy with Cherokee heritage. Or get meta and use it for your cat.
"to travel, to proceed"
Old man's name just conceivable for a girl--makes a new spin on Wendy.
"dweller at the white cliff"
Haitian-born rap superstar and humanitarian Wyclef ("Fugees") Jean has lent this name a powerful musical beat.
