Wanna

♀ Girl

Pronounced WAHN-uh /ˈwɑːnə/Medium

Meaning: Wanna is most plausibly a trimmed form of Wanda, a Polish and Slavic name borne by a legendary Polish queen and sometimes linked to the Wends, a Slavic people. As a stand-alone name its documentation is thin.Low

In 30 seconds: Wanna is a rare American name, most likely a short form of Wanda, of Slavic origin (said WAHN-uh). It stayed uncommon and faded by mid-century.

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Origin LowSlavic, American English

MeaningWanna is most plausibly a trimmed form of Wanda, a Polish and Slavic name borne by a legendary Polish queen and sometimes linked to the Wends, a Slavic people. As a stand-alone name its documentation is thin.

U.S. rank (1967)#6784 ↗ Rising

1967 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1923

Total births (all-time)≈ 550

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Wanna appears in United States records from around 1907 and peaks about 1923. It reads most naturally as a short or respelled form of Wanda, the Polish and Slavic name that was gaining ground in early-century America, though as a stand-alone its history is thin. It was always rare, given to only a couple dozen girls a year.

Last recorded in the late nineteen-sixties, Wanna reads as a great-grandmother-era name and has not revived, partly because it now reads as the casual word 'wanna.' Parents drawn to its soft sound would most likely choose Wanda, Juanita or Ramona instead.

Did you know? Wanna's likely parent, Wanda, is the name of a legendary Polish queen said to have chosen her country over an unwanted marriage.

Overall data confidence 35%

References - Wanna — Likely short form of Wanda; Slavic origin, thinly documented

Variations

WandaWannah

Nicknames

WanNan

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Wanna…

Wanda— the likely parent name this shortens

Juanita— a like soft two-and-three-beat vintage name

Ramona— shares the warm rounded sound

Vonda— a same-era rhyming girls' name

Explore names like Wanna

By themerare vintage slavic short-form

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Wanna mean?

It is a rare American name, most likely a short form of Wanda, a name of Slavic origin.

How do you pronounce Wanna?

It's said WAHN-uh /ˈwɑːnə/, 2 syllables.

Is Wanna a boy or girl name?

Wanna is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Wanna?

It was always rare, given to only a couple dozen girls a year around the early nineteen-hundreds.