Waldo
Boys' name · Early 20th-century
- Living in the US
- ~1,500 survival-weighted estimate
- 2025 rank
- #10,695 among boys
- Births in 2025
- 6 5,722 since 1880
- Typical age
- 61 years, median
Waldo popularity over time
Waldo was used most in 1915, when 174 babies were given the name. It is present from 1880, the first year of the record. It reaches the top 1,000 in 65 years of the record.
The 2025 position is #10,695, on 6 births. Compared with 2015, births are down 25%.
How many people are named Waldo?
About 1,500 people named Waldo are alive in the United States today. SSA has recorded 5,722 births under the name since 1880.
This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.
How old is the average Waldo?
The typical living Waldo is 61 years old. More of them were born in the 1950s than in any other decade. By the site’s era rules that makes Waldo a early 20th-century name.
Your Waldo
Where the name Waldo comes from
English surname, from the obsolete English given name Waltheof, from Old English weald (“power”) + þēof (“thief”), as in "one who snatched victory from battle." Comparable, or ultimately Anglicized, the Old Norse equivalent Valthiófr, from vald + *ᚦᛖᚢᛒᚨᛉ. Compare Walthall, Waldie.
Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.
Notable people named Waldo
| Name | Known for | Years | Editions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Waldo Ponce | Chilean footballer | 1982 | 26 |
|
Waldo Frank | American novelist, historian, political activist and literary critic | 1889–1967 | 17 |
|
Waldo Salt | American screenwriter | 1914–1987 | 14 |
|
Waldo L. Parra | Chilean lawyer and novelist | 1965 | 13 |
|
Waldo Rubio | association football player | 1995 | 12 |
|
Waldo of Reichenau | carolingian bishop | 740–814 | 12 |
|
Waldo R. Tobler | American geographer | 1930–2018 | 11 |
| Waldo Vieira | Brazilian author and psychical researcher | 1932–2015 | 10 | |
Photo credits (7)
- Waldo Ponce — jikatu, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Waldo Frank — Alfred Stieglitz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Waldo Salt — Mr. Fox 17, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Waldo L. Parra — Rodrigo Fernández, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Waldo Rubio — www.realvalladolid.es, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Waldo of Reichenau, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Waldo R. Tobler — Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.
Related pages
- All names from 1915
- Top names of 2025
- Names beginning with W
- Every year, 1880 to 2025
- Names by state
Get this data
Every number on this page is available as JSON:
/api/name/waldo.json.
Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).