Waldo
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- WAWL-doh
- Origin
- Germanic
- US rank, 2025
- #10,690 for boys
Waldo is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “rule”. In 2025 it ranked 10,690th for boys in the US (6 babies).
What does Waldo mean?
Germanic: short form of names containing wald
“rule”
Ralph Waldo Emerson bore it as a middle name; Where's Waldo? is the US title of Martin Handford's Where's Wally? books.
Is Waldo a girl's or a boy's name?
Waldo is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Waldo in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 10,690th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 6 about 1 in 280,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to call too few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 6 boys in the US were named Waldo, making it the 10,690th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 10,599th. Its busiest year was 1915, with 174 boys.
Half of all the boys named Waldo in the US since 1880 were born between 1917 and 1947, the years shaded on the chart below.
Waldo in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #10,690 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 10 | #7,582 |
| 2020 | 6 | #10,599 |
| 2019 | 10 | #7,638 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 11 | #7,091 |
| 2016 | 9 | #8,141 |
| 2015 | 8 | #8,739 |
| 2014 | 5 | #12,102 |
| 2013 | 5 | #12,129 |
| 2012 | 8 | #8,858 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 10 | #7,585 |
| 2009 | 12 | #6,798 |
| 2008 | 12 | #6,758 |
| 2007 | 10 | #7,586 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7,422 |
| 2005 | 8 | #8,292 |
| 2004 | 13 | #5,807 |
| 2003 | 14 | #5,265 |
| 2002 | 10 | #6,515 |
| 2001 | 12 | #5,660 |
| 2000 | 12 | #5,581 |
| 1999 | 13 | #5,029 |
| 1998 | 15 | #4,409 |
| 1997 | 17 | #3,872 |
| 1996 | 13 | #4,606 |
| 1995 | 15 | #4,046 |
| 1994 | 13 | #4,531 |
| 1993 | 13 | #4,440 |
| 1992 | 18 | #3,452 |
| 1991 | 19 | #3,218 |
| 1990 | 19 | #3,160 |
| 1989 | 29 | #2,286 |
| 1988 | 26 | #2,300 |
| 1987 | 16 | #3,068 |
| 1986 | 15 | #3,128 |
| 1985 | 18 | #2,708 |
| 1984 | 16 | #2,823 |
| 1983 | 24 | #2,139 |
| 1982 | 16 | #2,830 |
| 1981 | 13 | #3,219 |
| 1980 | 15 | #2,964 |
| 1979 | 19 | #2,464 |
| 1978 | 14 | #2,928 |
| 1977 | 18 | #2,458 |
| 1976 | 17 | #2,507 |
| 1975 | 10 | #3,426 |
| 1974 | 19 | #2,197 |
| 1973 | 13 | #2,714 |
| 1972 | 15 | #2,418 |
| 1971 | 19 | #2,125 |
| 1970 | 10 | #3,069 |
| 1969 | 24 | #1,679 |
| 1968 | 23 | #1,649 |
| 1967 | 17 | #1,905 |
| 1966 | 20 | #1,722 |
| 1965 | 26 | #1,512 |
| 1964 | 31 | #1,407 |
| 1963 | 43 | #1,174 |
| 1962 | 25 | #1,587 |
| 1961 | 38 | #1,278 |
| 1960 | 31 | #1,433 |
| 1959 | 29 | #1,466 |
| 1958 | 25 | #1,556 |
| 1957 | 30 | #1,435 |
| 1956 | 42 | #1,170 |
| 1955 | 38 | #1,218 |
| 1954 | 35 | #1,267 |
| 1953 | 41 | #1,154 |
| 1952 | 42 | #1,135 |
| 1951 | 38 | #1,170 |
| 1950 | 38 | #1,167 |
| 1949 | 28 | #1,379 |
| 1948 | 41 | #1,106 |
| 1947 | 47 | #1,052 |
| 1946 | 46 | #1,003 |
| 1945 | 38 | #1,038 |
| 1944 | 43 | #991 |
| 1943 | 58 | #875 |
| 1942 | 62 | #821 |
| 1941 | 51 | #888 |
| 1940 | 57 | #830 |
| 1939 | 66 | #738 |
| 1938 | 63 | #770 |
| 1937 | 63 | #771 |
| 1936 | 92 | #608 |
| 1935 | 70 | #731 |
| 1934 | 76 | #697 |
| 1933 | 85 | #629 |
| 1932 | 96 | #600 |
| 1931 | 95 | #605 |
| 1930 | 114 | #561 |
| 1929 | 116 | #547 |
| 1928 | 110 | #588 |
| 1927 | 124 | #553 |
| 1926 | 132 | #525 |
| 1925 | 121 | #562 |
| 1924 | 163 | #485 |
| 1923 | 139 | #515 |
| 1922 | 149 | #506 |
| 1921 | 153 | #498 |
| 1920 | 148 | #495 |
| 1919 | 124 | #535 |
| 1918 | 163 | #462 |
| 1917 | 164 | #441 |
| 1916 | 154 | #452 |
| 1915 | 174 | #407 |
| 1914 | 124 | #433 |
| 1913 | 116 | #396 |
| 1912 | 79 | #439 |
| 1911 | 44 | #441 |
| 1910 | 36 | #456 |
| 1909 | 17 | #653 |
| 1908 | 36 | #389 |
| 1907 | 27 | #448 |
| 1906 | 18 | #547 |
| 1905 | 24 | #452 |
| 1904 | 25 | #417 |
| 1903 | 22 | #430 |
| 1902 | 22 | #440 |
| 1901 | 15 | #506 |
| 1900 | 22 | #490 |
| 1899 | 24 | #376 |
| 1898 | 21 | #435 |
| 1897 | 22 | #404 |
| 1896 | 14 | #551 |
| 1895 | 20 | #437 |
| 1894 | 17 | #480 |
| 1893 | 19 | #419 |
| 1892 | 22 | #404 |
| 1891 | 15 | #456 |
| 1890 | 22 | #376 |
| 1889 | 18 | #434 |
| 1888 | 15 | #505 |
| 1887 | 14 | #461 |
| 1886 | 8 | #694 |
| 1885 | 17 | #439 |
| 1884 | 7 | #764 |
| 1883 | 6 | #798 |
| 1882 | 16 | #453 |
| 1881 | 23 | #342 |
| 1880 | 10 | #600 |
Names like Waldo
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
William, Walter, Otto, Lewis, Louis, Albert, Archie, Charlie, Frederick, Henry, Otis, Harry
Names related to Waldo
More Germanic names
Amelia, Liam, Charlotte, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Louie, Miles, Alice, Myles, Charles, Lottie, Avery
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Waldo: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/waldo, updated 20 October 2026.