Wanda

Wanda (/ˈwɑːndə/ WAHN-də) is a female given name of apparent Slavic origin; its probable meaning is with reference to the Wends.^[1] The name has long been popular in Poland where the legend of Princess Wanda has been circulating since at least the 12th century;^[2]in 1947 Wanda was cited as the second most popular name from Polish secular history given to Polish girls.^[2] The name was largely introduced to the English-speaking world via the 1883 novel by Ouida entitled Wanda which has an Eastern European setting.^[1][3] In the United States, Wanda attained its highest popularity in the year 1934 peaking then at #47 on the list of names most frequently given to female infants.^[1] The name is popularly interpreted as meaning "wanderer."^[4][5]

Namesakes

• Wanda Gertz (1896–1958)
• Wanda Guenette (born 1962), Canadian volleyball player
• Wanda Hendrix (1928-1981), American film actress
• Wanda Hutchinson (b.1951), American R&B singer (the Emotions)
• Wanda Jackson (b.1937), American rockabilly singer
• Wanda Jakubowska (1907–1998)
• Wanda Klaff (1922–1946)
• Wanda Lyzwinska (ca. 1953)
• Wanda Landowska (1877–1959)
• Wanda Malecka (1800–1860)
• Wanda Perry-Josephs, an American gospel music singer
• Wanda Piłsudska
• Wanda Rijo (b. 1979), Dominican Republic weightlifter
• Wanda Rutkiewicz, a Polish mountain climber
• Wanda Sykes, an American comedian
• Wanda Tinasky (pseudonym)
• Wanda Toscanini Horowitz (1907–1998)
• Wanda Ventham, (b.1935), English actress
• Wanda Wasilewska (1905–1964)
• Wanda Wiłkomirska (b. 1929)
• Wanda Young (b.1943), American R&B singer (the Marvelettes)

Fictional characters named Wanda

• Wanda, the human name given to the protagonist in The Host (novel)
• Wanda Gershwitz and Wanda, the goldfish, from the 1988 British comedy film A Fish Called Wanda
• Wanda, a key character from the Todd McFarlene's Spawn series
• Wanda, the character Wilhelmina Slater's actual name
• Wanda, the main character in the video game Shadow Of The Colossus
• Wanda, a cartoon character from The Fairly OddParents
• Wanda, a popular name in BDSM circles; name a character in Sacher-Masochs novel Venus in Fur
• Wanda, the main controllable character in Mario & Wario
• Wanda Dollard, a character on the Canadian TV show Corner Gas
• Wanda, a fictional character in The Simpsons.
• Wanda Firebaugh, a character from the webcomic Erfworld
• Wanda Li, a character in The Magic School Bus educational series
• Wanda Maximoff, identity of the X-Men character Scarlet Witch
• Wanda MacPherson, a character from the Comic strip and Television series Baby Blues
• Princess Wanda, a legendary princess in Polish legends
• Wanda Seldon, in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series
• Wanda Von Kreesus, the main character in the adult comic strip Wicked Wanda
• Wayne and Wanda, a singing duo on The Muppet Show
• Wanda, a popular recurring character on "In Living Color" played by actor Jamie Foxx

Variant forms of Wanda

Wanda is a common name in Polish, English, German, and French languages.^[1] Notable variant forms of the given name Wanda include:

• Lawanda – English^[1]
• KeWanda- English
• Vanda – Czech,^[1] Spanish, Portuguese, French, Magyar, Latin, Italian, Russian
• Vonda – English^[1]

See also

• All pages beginning with "Wanda"
• All pages with titles containing "Wanda"

References