Wendy is a given name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

 generally given to females in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

-speaking countries.

The name is found in United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 records from the 19th century; Wendy Gram, a female resident of Ohio, was born in 1828, and the name Wendy appeared over twenty times in the U.S. Census of 1880. In Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Wendy appeared as a boy's name in the 1881 census of England, and was occasionally used as a nickname for the Welsh Gwendolyn

Gwendolyn

Gwendolyn is a Welsh female first name, derived from Gwendolen.-Meaning:Gwendolyn is derived from the Welsh words "gwen" and "dolen" or "dolyn". Both words have multiple possible meanings. The word "gwen" can mean "white", "fair" or "blessed". The word "dolen" can mean "ring", "bow" or less...

. However, its popularity as a girl's name is attributed to the character Wendy Darling

Wendy Darling

Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character, the female protagonist of Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie, and in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the original play or novel by Barrie, though she is implied to be 12 or 13 years old or younger, as she is "just...

 from the 1904 play Peter Pan

Peter Pan

Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...

and its 1911 novelization Peter and Wendy

Peter and Wendy

Peter and Wendy, published in 1911, is the novelisation by J. M. Barrie of his most famous play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up...

by J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie

Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...

. The name was inspired by young Margaret Henley

Margaret Henley

Margaret Emma Henley was the daughter of William Ernest Henley and his wife Anna Henley . Margaret's friendship with J. M...

, daughter of Barrie's friend W. E. Henley

William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic and editor, best remembered for his 1875 poem "Invictus".-Life and career:...

. With the common childhood difficulty pronouncing Rs

Rhotacism

Rhotacism refers to several phenomena related to the usage of the consonant r :*the excessive or idiosyncratic use of the r;...

, Margaret reportedly used to call him 'my fwiendy-wendy'.

The name Wendy is sometimes considered a variation of the name Wanda

Wanda

-Derivation:It is derived from Wandalus or Wandalarius , the name of several Amali Gothic rulers. The first Polish historian Kadlubek wrote the Princess Wanda story. He describes her as live amongst the Wandali and claims that a river in the land of the Vandals is named Wandalus after Wanda...

.

Various Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 rulers have held the name and title Emperor Wen

Emperor Wen

Emperor Wen may refer to:* Emperor Wen of Han * Emperor Wen of Wei , see Cao Pi* Emperor Wen of Jin , see Sima Zhao* Emperor Wen of Eastern Wu , see Sun He* Emperor Wen of Liu Song...

, which in Chinese

Chinese language

The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 is read Wen(-)di (文帝). Chinese women with the same or similar-sounding characters as their given names often Anglicise their names as Wendi or Wendy (e.g. Wendi Deng

Wendi Deng

Wendi Deng Murdoch is a Chinese-born American businesswoman. She is the third wife of News Corporation Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch, and is leading her husband's Chinese media investments.In 1988 she was sponsored by an American family for a student visa...

, Wendy Kweh

Wendy Kweh

Wendy Kweh is an actress of Chinese descent born in Singapore. She migrated to the United Kingdom in 1995. She lives in London.-Education:She is a RADA graduate in London....

).