Wanda is a female

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

of Polish origin. It probably derives from the tribal name of the Wends.Campbell, Mike
"Meaning, Origin, and History of the Name Wanda."
''Behind the Name.'' Accessed on August 12, 2010. The name has long been popular in Poland where the legend of Princess Wanda has been circulating since at least the 12th century.Kruszewska, Albina I. & Coleman, Marion M
"The Wanda Theme in Polish Literature and Life."
''American Slavic and East European Review,'' Vol. 6, No. 1/2 (May, 1947), pp. 19-35. The American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies. Accessed on August 12, 2010. In 1947, Wanda was cited as the second most popular name, after Mary, for Polish girls, and the most popular from Polish secular history. The name was made familiar in the English-speaking world by the 1883 novel ''Wanda'', written by Ouida, the story line of which is based on the last years of the Hechingen branch of the

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

n House of Hohenzollern."Ouida's 'Wanda'."
''The New York Times,'' August 13, 1883. Retrieved August 12, 2010. In the United States, Wanda attained its highest popularity in the year 1934, peaking then at No. 47 on the list of names most frequently given to female infants. The name is popularly interpreted as meaning "wanderer.""Wanda - Name Meaning & Origin."
''Think Baby Names.'' Accessed on August 12, 2010.

Namesakes

*Wanda Barzee (born 1945), American criminal convicted of the Kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart *

Wanda Coleman Wanda Coleman (November 13, 1946 – November 22, 2013) was an American poet. She was known as "the L.A. Blueswoman" and "the unofficial poet laureate of Los Angeles". Biography Wanda Evans was born in the Watts, Los Angeles, California, Watts ...

(1946-2013), American poet *

Wanda Cowley Wanda Cowley (born 7 September 1924) is a New Zealand children's writer. Biography Cowley was born in Auckland in 1924. She studied at the University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; year ...

(born 1924), New Zealand children's writer *

Wanda Hazel Gág Wanda is a female given name of Poland, Polish origin. It probably derives from the tribal name of the Wends.Campbell, Mike"Meaning, Origin, and History of the Name Wanda."''Behind the Name.'' Accessed on August 12, 2010. The name has long been po ...

(1893–1946), American author and illustrator of the children's book ''Millions of Cats'' * Wanda Gertz (1896–1958) *

Wanda Guenette Wanda Guenette (born August 31, 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a retired female volleyball player from Canada, who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. There she ended up in tenth place with the Women's National Team. Later ...

(born 1962), Canadian volleyball player * Wanda Hawley (1895-1963), American silent film-era actress * Wanda Hendrix (1928–1981), American film actress *Wanda Hutchinson (born 1951), American R&B singer ( the Emotions) * Wanda Jackson (born 1937), American rockabilly singer * Wanda Jakubowska (1907–1998) * Wanda Klaff (1922–1946), German Nazi concentration camp overseer executed for war crimes * Wanda Kosakiewicz 1917-1989, French stage actress and love interest of both Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Sartre dedicated his ''The Roads to Freedom'' trilogy to her. * Wanda Krahelska-Filipowicz (1886-1968), World War II anti-Nazi Polish leader * Wanda Lyzwinska (c. 1953) * Wanda Landowska (1877–1959) * Wanda Malecka (1800–1860) * Wanda Panfil (born 1959) * Wanda Piłsudska (1918-2001) * Wanda Rijo (born 1979), Dominican Republic weightlifter * Wanda Rutkiewicz (1943-1992), Polish mountain climber * Wanda Stopa (1900–1924), Polish-American attorney and murderer. * Wanda Sykes (born 1962), American actress, comedian, and writer. * Wanda Tinasky (pseudonym) *

Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Wanda Giorgina Toscanini Horowitz (December 7, 1907, Milan, Italy, – August 21, 1998) was the daughter of the conductor Arturo Toscanini and the wife of pianist Vladimir Horowitz. As a child, Wanda studied piano and voice. She never pursue ...

(1907–1998) * Wanda Vazquez Garced (born 1960), Governor of Puerto Rico * Wanda Ventham, (born 1935), English actress * Wanda Wasilewska (1905–1964) * Wanda Wiłkomirska (1929-2018) * Wanda Young (born 1943), American R&B singer (the Marvelettes)

Characters

* Princess Wanda, legendary heroine in Polish folk mythology *'' Vanda'', the title and protagonist of the 1876 Antonín Dvořák grand opera *

Wanda Maximoff Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in ''The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) ...

, alter-ego of the ''Avengers'' comic-book character Scarlet Witch (1964-continuing) **

, a film character based on Scarlet Witch. *'' Wanda'', protagonist of the 1970 movie of the same name, written, directed and starring Barbara Loden *

Wanda Firebaugh ''Erfworld'' was a story-driven fantasy/comedy webcomic and independently published graphic novel about a master strategy gamer summoned into and stuck inside a wargaming, wargame running from December 2006 to its abrupt cancellation in October ...

, character from the webcomic ''Erfworld'' (2007-continuing) * Wanda Seldon, key character in the 1993 novel ''Forward the Foundation'', part of Isaac Asimov's ''Foundation'' series *Wanda, the protagonist of the 1809 stage play ''Wanda'' written by German poet Zacharias Werner and directed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe *Wanda, heroine of the 1840 narrative poem ''Wanda'' by the Polish poet

C.K. Norwid Cyprian Kamil Norwid, a.k.a. Cyprian Konstanty Norwid (; 24 September 1821 – 23 May 1883), was a nationally esteemed Polish poet, dramatist, painter, and sculptor. He was born in the Masovian village of Laskowo-Głuchy near Warsaw. One of h ...

*Wanda, subject of the 1868 play ''Wanda, the Polish Queen'' by the Croatian dramatist Matija Ban *Wanda von Dunajew, protagonist of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's 1870 novel '' Venus in Furs'' *Wanda von Chabert, the protagonist of the 1881 Guy de Maupassant story ''In Various Roles'' *Wanda von Szalras, heroine of ''Wanda,'' the 1883 novel and stage play by Ouida (Maria Louise Ramé) *Wanda, the protagonist of the 1928 novel ''Wanda (Der Dämon)'' by Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gerhart Hauptmann *Wanda Petronski, the child protagonist of the 1944 novel ''

The Hundred Dresses ''The Hundred Dresses'' is a children's book by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. In the book, a Polish girl named Wanda Petronski attends a Connecticut school where the other children see her as "different" and mock her. Plot summ ...

'' by Eleanor Estes *Wanda Cavalli, primary character in the 1952 movie '' The White Sheik'' directed by Federico Fellini *Wanda Von Kreesus, the main character in the 1973-1980 adult comic strip '' Wicked Wanda'' *Wanda Nevada, heroine of the 1979 movie ''

Wanda Nevada ''Wanda Nevada'' is a 1979 American Western film starring Peter Fonda and Brooke Shields as the title character. (archive) It was also directed by Peter Fonda. Henry Fonda makes a cameo appearance as an Arizona prospector, making it the only fi ...

'' played by Brooke Shields *Wanda Gershwitz and Wanda the goldfish, characters in the 1988 movie ''

A Fish Called Wanda ''A Fish Called Wanda'' is a 1988 heist comedy film directed by Charles Crichton and written by Crichton and John Cleese. It stars Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin. The film follows a gang of diamond thieves who double- ...

'' *Wanda Woodward, character in the 1990 movie '' Cry-Baby'', played by Traci Lords *Wanda, a key character in Todd McFarlane's 1992-continuing '' Spawn'' comic-book series, as well as the 1997 movie and 1997-99 TV series *Wanda, the main controllable character in the 1993 video game'' Mario & Wario'' *Wanda, a popular recurring character in the 1990-94 TV series '' In Living Color'' played by actor Jamie Foxx *Wanda, the nickname of the Wandering Swordsman, a member of the Ancient Alliance of Askara, in the 1997 video game Tibia *Wanda, cartoon character from '' The Fairly OddParents'' TV series (2001-2017) *Wanda MacPherson, a character from the

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

and 2000-2002 TV series '' Baby Blues'' *Wanda, the main character in the 2005 video game '' Shadow of the Colossus'' *Wanda, the human name given to the protagonist in the 2008 Stephenie Meyer novel '' The Host'' *Wanda Dollard, a character on the 2004-2009 TV series '' Corner Gas'' *Wanda, the character played by Diora Baird in Episode 16, Season 6 (2009) of '' Two and a Half Men'' *Wanda Slater, the character Wilhelmina Slater's actual name in the 2006-2010 TV series ''Ugly Betty'' *Wanda Powell, a fictional character in '' The Simpsons'' *Wanda, part of the singing duo Wayne and Wanda on '' The Muppet Show''

Music

* ''Kinda Fonda Wanda'' a song by Neil Young on his album Everybody's Rockin'

References

{{given name Polish feminine given names Slavic feminine given names English feminine given names Feminine given names

Namesakes

Characters

Music

See also

References