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.
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 →
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. Its peak popularity came in 2009, when 15 Wagners were born — ranking #5,798 that year. As of 2026, Wagner ranks #6,443 for baby boys with 13 births, gradually rising (+10%). 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
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
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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.