Girl · #3,742 in 2026

Undine

Undines are a category of elemental beings associated with water, stemming from the alchemical writings of Paracelsus. Later writers developed the undine into a water nymph in its own right, and it continues to live in modern literature and art through such adaptations as Danish Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 "The Little Mermaid" and the 1811 novella Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué.

  • Literature
Current Rank
#3,742
Peak Rank
#3,144 (1924)
Total Babies
95
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1912
First Year
1935
Last Year
1924
Peak Year
#3144
Peak Rank
95
Total Count
13
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Undine

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Undines are a category of elemental beings associated with water, stemming from the alchemical writings of Paracelsus. Later writers developed the undine into a water nymph in its own right, and it continues to live in modern literature and art through such adaptations as Danish Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 "The Little Mermaid" and the 1811 novella Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Literature
Etymology
The term Undine first appears in the alchemical writings of Paracelsus , a Renaissance alchemist and physician. It derives from the Latin word unda , meaning "wave", with a diminutive "-ina" which in modern Italian could translate the term "little wave" (or alternatively from Lithuanian language word Vandene (water=vanduo) ), and first appears in Paracelsus' A Book on Nymphs, Sylphs, Pygmies, and Salamanders, and on the Other Spirits , published posthumously in 1566. Ondine is an alternative spelling, and has become a female given name.

The Story of Undine

Undine first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1912, with 9 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1924: 10 births, good for #3,144 nationwide. About 48% of every Undine on record arrived during the 1910s, its defining decade. Undine last appeared in the published SSA data in 1935, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 95 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Undine

Phonetically similar names — useful when Undine is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

  • Undone
  • Indene
  • Undy
  • Unde
  • Undi
  • Enden
  • Indin
  • Untune
  • Lundeen
  • Umteen
  • Indon
  • Undern

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Undine

What does the name Undine mean?
Undines are a category of elemental beings associated with water, stemming from the alchemical writings of Paracelsus. Later writers developed the undine into a water nymph in its own right, and it continues to live in modern literature and art through such adaptations as Danish Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 "The Little Mermaid" and the 1811 novella Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué.
What is the origin of the name Undine?
Undine has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Literature.
How popular is Undine in 2026?
In 2026, Undine ranks #3,742 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Undine most popular?
Undine reached its peak popularity in 1924, ranking #3,144 that year with 10 babies given the name.
Is Undine a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Undine is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Undine?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Undine include Onida, Delema, Asencion. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Onida
Peak #3144
👧
Delema
Peak #3144
👧
Asencion
Peak #3144
👧
Betrice
Peak #3144
👧
Alto
Peak #3144
👧
Catheryne
Peak #3144
👧
Derotha
Peak #3144
👧
Nevelyn
Peak #3144

About the name Undine

Undine is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 95 births in the dataset. Undine's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #3,144. Use the chart and map above to compare Undine's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.