Fun Facts About the Name Waddell
- 780 babies named Waddell: U.S. records list 780 babies given the name Waddell from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Waddell Mean?
Waddell is a Scottish surname of habitational origin. It comes from the lands of Wedale in the Scottish Borders, the area now represented by the parish of Stow. The surname therefore means "one from Wedale," and its literal sense depends on the meaning of that place name.
Wedale is usually explained as Old English wēoh, "idol" or "heathen shrine," combined with dæl, "valley," giving "valley of the idol." A competing explanation reads the first element as wād, "woad," yielding "woad valley." The first element is not settled, so the exact literal meaning of the place name remains uncertain, though the surname's connection to Wedale itself is not in doubt.
Waddell Name History & Origins
Waddell began as a territorial surname taken from the lands of Wedale in the Scottish Borders, around what is now the parish of Stow. In the Middle Ages this district belonged to the church, held by the Bishops of St Andrews, and the name Wedale appears in charters from the twelfth century onward.
Bearers of the surname are recorded in southern Scotland in the medieval period, and the family name stayed concentrated in the Borders and Lothian. A medieval tradition linked Wedale with a fragment of the True Cross said to have been kept there, and the place was also associated in legend with King Arthur; these traditions belong to the history of the place rather than to the surname.
From Scotland the name spread to Ulster with Scottish settlement, above all in the seventeenth century, and later to North America and Australia through Scottish and Scots-Irish emigration. Related spellings include Weddell and Waddle. As a given name, Waddell is a transferred use of the surname, seen mainly in the United States.
How Popular is the Name Waddell?
Waddell has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1947. Its best rank was #1,380 in 1911.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | #9,438 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1985 | #4,677 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #7,300 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #5,610 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #7,261 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #6,031 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #5,038 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #5,821 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #4,404 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #4,786 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #4,363 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #4,219 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1969 | #2,213 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1968 | #4,731 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #3,929 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #4,412 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #3,276 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1963 | #2,535 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1962 | #3,031 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #2,702 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #2,532 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1959 | #2,291 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1958 | #2,366 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1957 | #3,249 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #2,165 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1955 | #2,551 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1954 | #2,313 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1953 | #2,896 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1952 | #2,669 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #1,968 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1950 | #2,108 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1949 | #2,018 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1948 | #1,756 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1947 | #1,644 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1946 | #2,027 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1945 | #1,848 | 15 | 0.0011% |
| 1944 | #2,189 | 12 | 0.0009% |
| 1943 | #2,725 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1942 | #2,263 | 12 | 0.0009% |
| 1941 | #2,647 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1940 | #2,858 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1939 | #3,100 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1938 | #1,972 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1937 | #1,988 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1936 | #1,958 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1935 | #2,524 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1934 | #1,929 | 15 | 0.0015% |
| 1933 | #1,703 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1932 | #2,458 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1931 | #2,467 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1930 | #2,604 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1929 | #2,972 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1928 | #2,646 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1927 | #2,028 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1926 | #2,716 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1925 | #2,085 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1924 | #1,837 | 20 | 0.0018% |
| 1923 | #2,328 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1922 | #2,035 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1921 | #2,796 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1920 | #2,332 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1919 | #1,968 | 17 | 0.0017% |
| 1918 | #2,256 | 14 | 0.0014% |
| 1917 | #2,278 | 13 | 0.0014% |
| 1916 | #3,495 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1915 | #3,374 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1914 | #3,741 | 5 | 0.0008% |
| 1913 | #3,243 | 5 | 0.0010% |
| 1912 | #2,527 | 6 | 0.0014% |
| 1911 | #1,380 | 8 | 0.0035% |
| 1910 | #1,414 | 7 | 0.0036% |
| 1908 | #1,578 | 5 | 0.0032% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Waddell Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Waddell's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Waddell's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.