Wave

♂ Boy

Pronounced WAYV /ˈweɪv/High

Meaning: The moving swell of water; from Old English wafian, used as a minimalist ocean word nameHigh

In 30 seconds: One syllable of ocean: Wave names the sea's perpetual motion — and doubles as the friendliest gesture in the language. Surf-minimalism for the birth certificate.

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Origin HighEnglish

MeaningThe moving swell of water; from Old English wafian, used as a minimalist ocean word name

U.S. rank (2025)#3377 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births35 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year2024

Total births (all-time)≈ 126

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

Wave is the English word for the sea's swell, from Old English wafian, 'to move to and fro' — the same root as the greeting wave. As a name it belongs to the newest tide of ocean minimalism with Bay, Reef, and Cove, surfacing rarely in 2010s-2020s records.

For a boy it reads athletic and elemental — a name that moves. The hand-wave double meaning gives it a built-in friendliness no other ocean name has.

Did you know? Surf-culture families and artists quietly seeded Wave as a given name through the 2010s, part of the same coastal swell that lifted Reef and Cove onto birth certificates.

Overall data confidence 88%

Oxford English Dictionary — wave — word etymology

Variations

WavesWayve

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Wave…

Reef— a fellow surf-culture nature pick

Ocean— the whole sea to Wave's single swell

Brave— lands in the same popularity range

Cove— shares the -ve ending

West— shares Wave's English roots

Explore names like Wave

By themeword-name minimalist ocean

By meaningSea / Water

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Wave mean?

Wave is the English word for the sea's moving swell, from Old English wafian, 'to move to and fro'.

How do you pronounce Wave?

It's said WAYV /ˈweɪv/ — a single syllable.

Is Wave a boy or girl name?

Wave is used for both sexes; this page covers its use as a boy's name.

How popular is Wave?

Wave is a vanishingly rare word name in the U.S.