Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the

Leveller The Levellers were a political movement active during the English Civil War who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as sh ...

John Lilburne John Lilburne (c. 161429 August 1657), also known as Freeborn John, was an English political Leveller before, during and after the English Civil Wars 1642–1650. He coined the term "'' freeborn rights''", defining them as rights with which e ...

as a spy reporting on his activities. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity in Britain as a feminine name is owed to the character

Wendy Darling Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1904 play and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie, as well as in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the origina ...

from the 1904 play ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' and its 1911 novelisation ''

Peter and Wendy ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'', often known simply as ''Peter Pan'', is a work by J. M. Barrie, in the form of a 1904 play and a 1911 novel titled ''Peter and Wendy''. Both versions tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous ...

'', both by

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

. Its popularity reached a peak in the 1960s, and subsequently declined. The name was inspired by young Margaret Henley, daughter of Barrie's poet friend W. E. Henley. Margaret reportedly used to call Barrie "my friendy", with the common childhood difficulty pronouncing ''R''s this came out as "my fwendy" and "my fwendy-wendy". In Germany after 1986, the name Wendy became popular because it is the name of a

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

(targeted specifically at young girls) about horses and horse riding.

People

Business and politics

* Wendy Bourne, Australian politician *

Wendy Dant Chesser Wendy Dant Chesser is a Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is co ...

, American politician *

Wendy Davis (politician) Wendy Russell Davis (born Wendy Jean Russell; May 16, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician from Fort Worth, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, Davis represented the 10th district in the Texas Senate from 2009 to 2015. She previously ...

(born 1963), American politician * Wendi Deng (born 1968), Chinese-born American businesswoman * Wendy Hausman, American politician * Wendy Morgan, Guernsey politician *

Wendy Thomas Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas-Morse (born September 14, 1961) is the daughter of American businessman Dave Thomas, the founder of the fast food brand Wendy's. She is the namesake and mascot of the brand. She uses the name Wendy Thomas in her ro ...

(born 1961), daughter of fast food chain

Wendy Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries. In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activit ...

's founder Dave Thomas and the company's namesake *

Wendy Thomas (politician) Wendy E. N. Thomas (born 1958 or 1959) is an American microbiologist and politician who served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 2018 until 2020, representing Hillsborough County's 21st district, which contains the town of Me ...

(born 1958 or 1959), New Hampshire state representative

Film, theatre, television, and radio

Wendy Beckett Wendy Mary Beckett (25 February 1930 – 26 December 2018), better known as Sister Wendy, was a British Catholic religious sister and art historian who became known internationally during the 1990s when she presented a series of BBC television ...

(1930–2018), British religious sister and art historian *

Wendy Bergen Wendy Anne Bergen (January 3, 1956 – April 26, 2017) was an American television journalist. Bergen was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, and graduated from the University of Utah. She began her television career as a weather reporter in Lake ...

(1956–2017), American television journalist *

Wendy Craig Wendy Craig (born Anne Gwendolyn Craig; 20 June 1934) is an English actress who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms '' Not in Front of the Children'' (1967–1970), '' ...And Mother Makes Three'' (1971–1973), '' ...And Mother M ...

(born 1934), English actress * Wendy Davis (born 1966), American actress *

Wendy Greengross Wendy Elsa Greengross (29 April 1925 – 10 October 2012) was a British general practitioner and broadcaster. ''The Independent'' called her "a pioneering counsellor and one of the leading figures in fighting for equal rights for the disabled a ...

(1925–2012), English general practitioner and broadcaster *

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', describ ...

(1912–2003), English actress *

Wendy Hoopes Wendy Hoopes is an American actress best known for her roles on MTV's animated series ''Daria'', where she provided the voices for three different main characters ( Jane Lane, Helen Morgendorffer, and Quinn Morgendorffer). Life and career Hoo ...

(born 1972), Malaysian American voice actress * Wendy Kaufman (born 1958), American television personality * Wendy Makkena (born 1958), American actress *

Wendie Malick Wendie Malick (born December 13, 1950) is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom '' Dream On'' and as Nina Van Horn in the NBC sitco ...

(born 1950), American actress and former fashion model *

Wendi McLendon-Covey Wendi McLendon-Covey (née McLendon; born October 10, 1969) is an American actress known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles. From 2013 until 2023, she played the role of family matriarch Beverly Goldberg on the ABC come ...

(born 1969), American actress and comedian *

Wendy Mesley Wendy Mesley is a Canadian television journalist, podcaster, and blogger. She worked for CBC News from 1981 to 2021 in roles including national correspondent at the Quebec Legislature and the Ottawa Parliamentary Bureau. She was the anchor of ' ...

(born 1957), Canadian television journalist and reporter * Wendy Morgan (born 1958), English actress * Wendy Morgan, Canadian film director * Wendy Pack, from The Howard Stern Show *

Wendy Padbury Wendy Padbury (born 7 December 1947) is a British actress and former talent agent. She has appeared in television series since 1966, including as Zoe Heriot, a companion to Patrick Troughton's Doctor in ''Doctor Who'', from 1968 to 1969. Ear ...

(born 1947), English actress * Wendi Peters (born 1968), English actress *

Wendy Phillips Wendy Phillips (born January 2, 1952) is an American actress, known for her roles on television series including '' Falcon Crest'', '' Homefront'' and ''Promised Land''. Life and career Phillips was born in Brooklyn, New York. She made her scre ...

(born 1952), American actress *

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, best known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the ...

(1943–2009), English actress *

Wendy Robie Wendy Robie (born October 6, 1953) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Nadine Hurley in David Lynch's television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991) and the prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992). She also s ...

(born 1953), American actress *

Wendy Raquel Robinson Wendy Raquel Robinson (born July 25, 1967) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as high school principal Regina "Piggy" Grier on The WB comedy sitcom '' The Steve Harvey Show'' (1996–2002), and as sports agent Tasha Mac ...

(born 1967), American actress * Wendie Jo Sperber (1958–2005), American actress *

Wendy Schaal Wendy Schaal (born July 2, 1954) is an American actress known for her work in Joe Dante films, such as '' Innerspace'', '' The 'Burbs'', and '' Small Soldiers''. Her other film credits include starring in '' Where the Boys Are '84'', '' Creatur ...

(born 1954), American actress *

Wendy Stites Wendy Stites (born 1949), also known as Wendy Weir, is an Australian retired costume designer and production designer. She is known for her frequent collaborations with her husband, Peter Weir. She was nominated for an Academy Award in the cate ...

(born 1949), Australian production and costume designer * Wendy Tilby (born 1960), Canadian animator and director * Wendy Toye (1917–2010), English director and actress * Wendy Williams (1934–2019), English actress * Wendy Williams (born 1964), American television and radio presenter, businesswoman, author, actress and media personality * Wendy O. Williams (1949–1998), American singer and former member of Plasmatics

Sports

Wendy Brown (heptathlete) Wendy Renee Brown (born January 28, 1966) is a retired heptathlon, heptathlete and triple jumper from the United States. She competed in the heptathlon at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, finishing in 18th place behind teammate Ja ...

(born 1966), American heptathlete * Wendy Cruz (born 1976), Dominican Republic cyclist * Wendy Fuller (born 1965), Canadian diver * Wendy Holdener (born 1993), Swiss alpine skier * Wendy Lucero-Schayes (born 1963), American diver *

Wendie Renard Wendie Thérèse Renard (born 20 July 1990) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Première Ligue club Lyon and the France national team. Renard is one of the most decorated players in modern women's club football. ...

(born 1990), French football player * Wendy Richter (born 1960), American wrestler * Wendy Vereen (born 1966), American former sprinter * Wendy Weinberg (born 1958), American Olympic medalist swimmer * Wendy Wyland (1964–2003), American diver

Arts

* Wendy Bagwell (1925–1996), founding member and leader of the Southern gospel music and comedy trio Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters *

Wendy Carlos Wendy Carlos (born Walter Carlos; November 14, 1939) is an American musician and composer known for electronic music and film scores. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Carlos studied physics and music at Brown University before moving to New Y ...

(born 1939), American composer * Wendy Chung (born 1968), Hong Kong pop and C-Pop lyricist *

Wendy Cope Wendy Cope (born 21 July 1945) is a contemporary English poet. She read history at St Hilda's College, Oxford. She now lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire, with her husband, the poet Lachlan Mackinnon. Biography Cope was born in Erith in Kent (now ...

(born 1945), English poet * Wendy Davies (born 1942), British professor of history * Wendy J. Fox (born 1979), American author * Wendy Heard, American author * Wendy Holden (author, born 1961), British journalist and author * Wendy Holden (author, born 1965), British chick-lit novelist * Wendy James (born 1966), Transvision Vamp's singer *

Wendy Mass Wendy Mass (born April 22, 1967) is an American author of young adult novels and children's books. Her 2003 novel, '' A Mango-Shaped Space'' won the American Library Association (ALA) Schneider Family Book Award for Middle School in 2004. Her ...

(born 1967), American author especially of young adult and children's novels *

Wendy Melvoin Wendy Ann Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band the Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy ...

(born 1964), American musician and composer and

twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...

sister of Susannah Melvoin * Wendy Partridge (born 1954), British-Canadian costume designer * Wendy Pepper (1964–2017), American fashion designer *

Wendy Pini Wendy Pini ( Fletcher; born June 4, 1951) and Richard Pini (born July 19, 1950) are the husband-and-wife team responsible for creating the well-known ''Elfquest'' series of Comic book, comics, graphic novels and prose works. They are also known ...

(born 1951), American creator, artist and writer of the fantasy comic book universe ''

Elfquest ''Elfquest'' (or ''ElfQuest'') is a comic book property created by Wendy and Richard Pini in 1978, and still owned by them. It is a fantasy story about a community of Elves (Elfquest), elves and other fictional species who struggle to survive and ...

'' * Wendy Shon (born 1994), Korean singer and member of Red Velvet * Wendy Sulca (born 1996), Peruvian singer *

Wendy Wasserstein Wendy Wasserstein (October 18, 1950 – January 30, 2006) was an American playwright. She was an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She received the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1989 ...

(1950–2006), American playwright * Wendy Whelan (born 1967), American ballet dancer and associate artistic director of New York City Ballet *

Wendy Wilson Wendy Wilson (born October 16, 1969) is an American singer and television personality who is a member of the pop trio Wilson Phillips. She co-founded Wilson Phillips with her older sister, Carnie, and childhood friend Chynna Phillips in 1989 ...

(born 1969), American pop singer and daughter of

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

singer,

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

* Wendy Rose (born 1948), American Hopi/Miwok writer

Science and engineering

* Wendy Campbell-Purdie (1925–1985), New Zealand tree-planter * Wendy Chung, American geneticist * Wendy Gibson, British professor in protozoology *

Wendy Lou Wen-Yi Wendy Lou is a Canadian biostatistics, biostatistician who works as a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health of the University of Toronto. Her research interests include the theory of runs and patterns in sequence data and appli ...

(born 1962), Canadian statistician * Wendy L. Martinez, American statistician * Wendy Lee Queen (born 1981), American chemist and material scientist

Other

* Wendy Albano (died 2012), American woman who was murdered in Bangkok * Wendy Carlin (born 1957), Australian professor of economics *

Wendy Fitzwilliam Wendy Marcelle Fitzwilliam (born 4 October 1972) is a Trinidadian lawyer, actress, model, singer, tv host and beauty queen who won Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 1998 and became the second Miss Universe in history from Trinidad and Tobago. M ...

(born 1972), Miss Universe 1998 from Trinidad and Tobago * Wendy M. Masiello (born 1958), United States Air Force general * Wendy Metcalfe, Canadian journalist, editor and news executive * Wendi Michelle Scott (born 1975), American criminal convicted of abusing her daughter in a case of Münchausen syndrome by proxy * Wendy Osefo (born 1984), Nigierian-American public affairs academic, political commentator and '' The Real Housewives of Potomac'' cast member * Wendy Wolin (1958–1966), American murder victim

Fictional characters

* Wendy Corduroy in ''

Gravity Falls ''Gravity Falls'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery television comedy, comedy animated television series created by Alex Hirsch for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series follows the adventures of Dipper Pines (Jason Ritter) and his twi ...

'' * Wendy Harris in the ''

Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of Am ...

'' cartoon and comic book * Wendy Johnson in ''

My Parents are Aliens ''My Parents Are Aliens'' is a British children's television sitcom that was produced for eight series by ITV Yorkshire, Yorkshire Television and aired on ITV (TV network), ITV from 8 November 1999 to 18 December 2006. Overview The show primar ...

'' * Wendy O. Koopa, one of the

Koopalings The ''Mario'' franchise is a media franchise created by Nintendo. Nintendo is usually the developer and publisher of the franchise's games, but various games are developed by third-party companies such as Intelligent Systems and Nintendo Cu ...

in the ''Mario'' franchise * Wendy Marvell in ''

Fairy Tail ''Fairy Tail'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collect ...

'' * Wendy Peyser in '' American Horror Story: Asylum'' * Wendy Byrde in ''

Ozark The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cov ...

'' * Wendy Testaburger in ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...

'' * Wendy Rhoades, wife of Chuck Rhoades and a psychiatrist/performance coach at Axe Capital in '' Showtime'' series '' Billions'' * Winnifred "Wendy" Torrance, one of the main characters in Stephen King's '' The Shining'' * Wendy Wu, the titular character of '' Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior'' *

Wendy the Good Little Witch Wendy the Good Little Witch is a fictional comic book Character (arts), character from Harvey Comics. Like Casper the Friendly Ghost and Hot Stuff the Little Devil, Wendy is an opposite-type character, a girl witch who does good deeds. Publicatio ...

in Harvey Comics *

, a character in ''

Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment which ran from to in the United Kingdom through the CBBC strand and later CBeebies. The series centres on the adventures ...

'' * Wendy Wolf, a character in ''

Peppa Pig ''Peppa Pig'' is a British preschool animated television series created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker. Produced by Hasbro Entertainment and Karrot Animation and formerly produced by Astley Baker Davies, the show follows Peppa, an anthro ...

'' * Wendy, a playable character in the indie survival game '' Don't Starve'' and its sequel ''Don't Starve Together'' *

in ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'' * Wendy, a

Chow Chow The Chow Chow is a spitz-type of dog breed originally from Northern China. The Chow Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense do ...

from the 2018 Australian show '' Bluey'' *

in ''

'' * Wendy Harris in ''

Mom (TV series) ''Mom'' is an American television situation comedy, situational comedy-drama created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky and Gemma Baker for CBS. The series was broadcast for eight seasons from September 23, 2013, to May 13, 2021. Set in Napa, Cal ...

'' * Agent Wendy Pleakley in Disney's ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise

References

{{given name English feminine given names Feminine given names English-language feminine given names