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 ...

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

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 Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

where the legend of

Princess Wanda Princess Wanda (reputedly lived in 8th century Poland) was the daughter of Krakus, legendary founder of Kraków. Upon her father's death, she became queen of the Poles, but committed suicide to avoid an unwanted marriage to a German. Wanda legen ...

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 Hechingen ( Swabian: ''Hächenga'') is a town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about south of the state capital of Stuttgart and north of Lake Constance and the Swiss border. Geography The town lies at the foot of the ...

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 Elizabeth Ann Smart was kidnapped at age fourteen on June 5, 2002, by Brian David Mitchell from her home in the Federal Heights neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. She was held captive by Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, on the outskirts ...

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 Wanda Hawley (born Selma Wanda Pittack; July 30, 1895 – March 18, 1963) was an American actress during the silent film era. She entered the theatrical profession with an amateur group in Seattle, and later toured the United States and Can ...

(1895-1963), American silent film-era actress *

Wanda Hendrix Dixie Wanda Hendrix (November 3, 1928 – February 1, 1981) was an American film and television actress. Early life Hendrix's father was a logging foreman, and she was born in Jacksonville, Florida. She was performing in a school play in Ja ...

(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 Wanda Klaff (6 March 1922 – 4 July 1946) was a Nazi concentration camp From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguishe ...

(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 Wanda Krahelska-Filipowicz (15 December 1886–1968), code name “Alinka”” or “Alicja”, was a leading figure in Warsaw’s underground resistance movement throughout the years of German occupation during World War II in Poland, co-fou ...

(1886-1968), World War II anti-Nazi Polish leader * Wanda Lyzwinska (c. 1953) *

Wanda Landowska Wanda Aleksandra Landowska (5 July 1879 – 16 August 1959) was a Polish harpsichordist and pianist whose performances, teaching, writings and especially her many recordings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in t ...

(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 Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on ''The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertainm ...

(born 1962), American actress, comedian, and writer. *

Wanda Tinasky Wanda Tinasky, ostensibly a bag lady living under a bridge in the Mendocino County area of Northern California, was the pseudonymous author of a series of playful, comic, and erudite letters sent to the '' Mendocino Commentary'' and the '' Anderso ...

(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 Wanda Wiłkomirska (11 January 1929 – 1 May 2018) was a Polish violinist and academic teacher. She was known for both the classical repertoire and for her interpretation of 20th-century music, having received two Polish State Awards for promot ...

(1929-2018) *Wanda Young (born 1943), American R&B singer (the Marvelettes)

Characters

, legendary heroine in Polish folk mythology *''Vanda (opera), Vanda'', the title and protagonist of the 1876 Antonín Dvořák grand opera *Wanda Maximoff, alter-ego of the ''Avengers'' comic-book character Scarlet Witch (1964-continuing) **Wanda Maximoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Wanda Maximoff, a film character based on Scarlet Witch. *''Wanda (film), Wanda'', protagonist of the 1970 movie of the same name, written, directed and starring Barbara Loden *Wanda Firebaugh, 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 *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'' 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'' played by Brooke Shields *Wanda Gershwitz and Wanda the goldfish, characters in the 1988 movie ''A Fish Called Wanda'' *Wanda Woodward, character in the 1990 movie ''Cry-Baby'', played by Traci Lords *Wanda, a key character in Todd McFarlane's 1992-continuing ''Spawn (comics), 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 Baby Blues, comic strip 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 (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