Fun Facts About the Name Wess
- 513 babies named Wess: U.S. records list 513 babies given the name Wess from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Wess Mean?
Wess is mainly an English spelling of Wes, a short form of Wesley or Weston. Wesley comes from an English place name built on Old English west "west" and lēah "wood, clearing, meadow," so it is usually translated "west meadow" or "west clearing." Weston is a separate English place name and surname made of west plus tūn "enclosure, settlement," meaning "west town" or "west settlement." Someone named Wess normally carries one of those two meanings rather than a distinct etymology of its own.
Wess is also found as a surname, in English and in German-speaking areas. Where it is German, it is generally treated as a shortened or altered form of a longer personal name such as Wessel or Wesse, but that derivation is not settled.
Wess Name History & Origins
The short form Wes grew out of Wesley, a surname taken from an English place name formed from Old English west and lēah. The surname became familiar through John Wesley and Charles Wesley, the brothers who led the Methodist movement in eighteenth-century Britain. Wesley then came into use as a first name, and the clipped form Wes followed it. Wess is one of the spellings used for that shortened name.
Weston is the other common source. It is an English surname from any of the many villages called Weston, literally "west town." Boys named Weston have often been called Wes, and that usage also lies behind the spelling Wess.
The doubled s form appears independently in surnames. In German contexts, Wess is usually explained as a shortened form of a name such as Wessel or as a variant of Wesse; the evidence does not point to one certain origin. In English-speaking use, the spelling generally reflects the familiar shortening of Wesley or Weston rather than the German surname.
How Popular is the Name Wess?
Wess recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1965. Its best rank was #797 in 1883.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,653 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #8,909 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #12,157 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #8,933 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #8,124 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #9,505 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #10,689 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #14,143 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #10,706 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #7,675 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #11,290 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #12,420 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #8,175 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #8,203 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #9,448 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #7,878 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #8,453 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #8,106 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #5,911 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #5,127 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #3,916 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1983 | #6,209 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #7,345 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #5,455 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #4,483 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #4,834 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #6,734 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #2,905 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1976 | #3,718 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #5,445 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #5,081 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #3,956 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1971 | #3,137 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #4,712 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #2,858 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #2,571 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1967 | #3,221 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #2,977 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #2,077 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1964 | #3,039 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #2,411 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1962 | #3,034 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #2,406 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #3,656 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #3,980 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #4,494 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1957 | #3,984 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #2,964 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1955 | #3,874 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #4,349 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1950 | #3,313 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1946 | #4,003 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1937 | #4,002 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #4,134 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1931 | #4,303 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #3,986 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #4,134 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1926 | #4,178 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,942 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1918 | #4,791 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #2,535 | 11 | 0.0012% |
| 1915 | #2,820 | 9 | 0.0011% |
| 1909 | #1,672 | 5 | 0.0030% |
| 1900 | #1,301 | 6 | 0.0040% |
| 1895 | #1,235 | 5 | 0.0043% |
| 1894 | #1,229 | 5 | 0.0043% |
| 1891 | #1,121 | 5 | 0.0049% |
| 1890 | #880 | 7 | 0.0063% |
| 1883 | #797 | 7 | 0.0067% |
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 Wess 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 have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Wess's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Wess's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.