Boy · #7,583 in 2026

Waldo

Waldo is a masculine given name. It derives from the Anglo-Saxon name Waltheof. It may refer to:

  • English
  • Germanic
Current Rank
#7,583
Peak Rank
#407 (1915)
Total Babies
6K
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1921
First Year
1921
Last Year
1921
Peak Year
#4464
Peak Rank
6
Total Count
1
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Waldo

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

Waldo is a masculine given name. It derives from the Anglo-Saxon name Waltheof. It may refer to:

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English
  • Germanic

The Story of Waldo

American parents first put Waldo on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 10 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1915, when 174 Waldos were born — ranking #407 that year. About 24% of every Waldo on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Waldo last appeared in the published SSA data in 2021, with 10 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 6K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s 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

Notable people named Waldo

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Waldo of Reichenau (740–814), Carolingian abbot and bishop
  • Waldo Colburn (1824–1885), American politician
  • Waldo Díaz-Balart (1931–2025), Cuban-born painter and sculptor
  • Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American writer and philosopher
  • Waldo A. Evans (1869–1936), American naval captain and military governor
  • Waldo Frank (1889–1967), American novelist, historian, and critic
  • Waldo Grant (1946–2023), American serial killer
  • Waldo E. Harder (1918–1976), president of Grace University

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

Names that sound like Waldo

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

  • Waldow
  • Waldie
  • Wallow
  • Wildy
  • Wieldy
  • Wilda
  • Weldy
  • Wado
  • Wildey
  • Naldo
  • Saldo
  • Valdo

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Waldo

What does the name Waldo mean?
Waldo is a masculine given name. It derives from the Anglo-Saxon name Waltheof. It may refer to:
What is the origin of the name Waldo?
Waldo has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Germanic.
How popular is Waldo in 2026?
In 2026, Waldo ranks #7,583 among boys' names in the U.S., with 10 babies given the name that year.
When was Waldo most popular?
Waldo reached its peak popularity in 1915, ranking #407 that year with 174 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Waldo most popular?
Waldo has historically been most popular in Arizona, Vermont, Utah. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Waldo.
Is Waldo a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Waldo is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Waldo?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Waldo include Ryland, Darrick, Alijah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Waldo

Waldo is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 6K births in the dataset. Waldo's peak popularity came in 1915 when it ranked #407. Use the chart and map above to compare Waldo'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.