Fun Facts About the Name Wadsworth
- 76 babies named Wadsworth: U.S. records list 76 babies given the name Wadsworth from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Wadsworth Mean?
Wadsworth is an English habitational name meaning "Wada's enclosure" or "Wada's settlement." It comes from Old English, the language spoken in England before the Norman Conquest. The first element is the Old English masculine personal name Wada; the second is worð (often written worth), meaning "enclosure" or "homestead." The name originally belonged to a place associated with a person named Wada, not to a common word for a physical feature.
The place is Wadsworth in West Yorkshire, England, and the surname is taken from it. In English-speaking countries Wadsworth is also used as a given name, but that use is a transferred surname, so its meaning remains the Old English place-name meaning rather than a separate given-name meaning.
Wadsworth Name History & Origins
The place name Wadsworth was formed in the Old English period. The village in West Yorkshire is the source of the surname, and the surname is a habitational name: it identified a person or family by the place they came from. In the Middle Ages, when English hereditary surnames became common, the name passed down within families rather than changing with each generation.
The surname spread with English migration. In the 17th century, Wadsworth was among the surnames carried to New England; William Wadsworth was a founder of Hartford, Connecticut. In the 19th century, the name became familiar through Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), whose middle name came from his mother's Wadsworth family. That is a well-known literary and family use of the surname, not evidence that the name originated with him. Wadsworth is also used occasionally as a first name, usually as a transferred surname.
How Popular is the Name Wadsworth?
Wadsworth 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 1921. Its best rank was #2,796 in 1913.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | #3,882 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1927 | #4,771 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1925 | #4,835 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1922 | #3,519 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #3,202 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1920 | #3,802 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1919 | #3,724 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1918 | #4,151 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1917 | #3,535 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #4,509 | 5 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #3,811 | 6 | 0.0007% |
| 1913 | #2,796 | 6 | 0.0012% |
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.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with W
How the Name Wadsworth 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 seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Wadsworth's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Wadsworth's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.