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
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 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
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 (1946-2013), American poet
*Wanda Cowley (born 1924), New Zealand children's writer
*Wanda Hazel Gág (1893–1946), American author and illustrator of the children's book ''Millions of Cats''
*Wanda Gertz (1896–1958)
*Wanda Guenette (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, Wanda Toscanini Horowitz (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 (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'
See also
*
*
References
{{given name
Polish feminine given names
Slavic feminine given names
English feminine given names
Feminine given names
