Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor, best known for his operas, although his mature works are often referred to as music dramas. Unlike most composers, Wagner wrote both the libretti and the music for all of his stage works.
- Portuguese
Meaning & Origin of Wagner
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor, best known for his operas, although his mature works are often referred to as music dramas. Unlike most composers, Wagner wrote both the libretti and the music for all of his stage works.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Portuguese
The Story of Wagner
Wagner first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1915, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2009: 15 births, good for #5,798 nationwide. The 2000s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 26% of all recorded Wagners. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (13 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 337 Wagners have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Wagner
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Wagner. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Vagner
Names that sound like Wagner
Phonetically similar names — useful when Wagner is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Wegner
- Wigner
- Hagner
- Wagger
- Wagoner
- Waggoner
- Wagar
- Wagener
- Wagn
- Wagr
- Wagners
- Waggener
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Wagner
What does the name Wagner mean?
What is the origin of the name Wagner?
How popular is Wagner in 2026?
When was Wagner most popular?
Is Wagner a unisex name?
What names go well with Wagner?
What are nicknames or variants of Wagner?
About the name Wagner
Wagner is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 337 births in the dataset. Wagner's peak popularity came in 2009 when it ranked #5,798. Use the chart and map above to compare Wagner's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2009 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "W" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.