ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1914 First Year 1968 Last Year 1939 Peak Year #2829 Peak Rank 38 Total Count 7 Years Active Advertisement 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Wales What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Located on the island of Great Britain, it is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic Sea to the south-west. As of 2021, it had a population of 3.2 million. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales) 📜Etymology Main articles: Etymology of Wales and Cymru The English words Wales and Welsh derive from the same Old English root (singular Wealh , plural Wēalas ), a descendant of Proto-Germanic \* Walhaz , which was itself derived from the name of the Gauls known to the Romans as Volcae . This term was later used to refer indiscriminately to inhabitants of the Western Roman Empire . Anglo-Saxons came to use the term to refer to the Britons in particular; the plural form Wēalas evolved into the name for their territory, Wales. Historically in Britain , the words were not restricted to modern Wales or to the 🏛️Origin & history Main articles: History of Wales and Timeline of Welsh history See also: Archaeology of Wales Caradog (depicted by Thomas Prydderch), leader of the north Wales Celtic tribe the Ordovices . Although the Welsh nation did not arise until the Middle Ages , the territory of Wales was permanently settled from the end of the last ice age onwards. These first farmers left many impressive funerary monuments, as well as settlement sites that speak to a dispersed culture. With the arrival of the Bronze Age , the Great Orme in North Wales became Britain's premier producer of copper, one of the key ores for [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Wales](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Flag_of_Wales.svg/330px-Flag_of_Wales.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales) 📖 ## The Story of Wales American parents first put Wales on the record books as a baby boy name in 1914, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1939, when 7 Waless were born — ranking #2,829 that year. The 1930s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 45% of all recorded Waless. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1968 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 38 Waless have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through 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 Wales Phonetically similar names — useful when Wales is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Whales * Wails * Wailes * Walls * Wheels * [Wells](/wells) * [Wills](/wills) * [Wiles](/wiles) * Whiles * Wals * Wools * Walz Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Wales What does the name Wales mean? Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Located on the island of Great Britain, it is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic Sea to the south-west. As of 2021, it had a population of 3.2 million. How popular is Wales in 2026? In 2026, Wales ranks #4,136 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Wales most popular? Wales reached its peak popularity in 1939, ranking #2,829 that year with 7 babies given the name. Is Wales a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Wales is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Wales? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Wales include Ura, Broward, Sig. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👦UraPeak #2829](/ura)[👦BrowardPeak #2829](/broward)[👦SigPeak #2829](/sig)[👦PerliePeak #2829](/perlie)[👦MorrillPeak #2829](/morrill)[👦TivisPeak #2829](/tivis)[👦AtilanoPeak #2829](/atilano)[👦CamillusPeak #2829](/camillus) Advertisement ## About the name Wales Wales is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 38 births in the dataset. Wales's peak popularity came in 1939 when it ranked #2,829\. Use the chart and map above to compare Wales's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1939 → ](/year/1939) * [ Names of the 1930s → ](/decade/1930s) * [ Names starting with "W" → ](/letter/w) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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. Advertisement