Wyatt is a rough-and-tumble name, which carries strong Wild-West associations due to legendary American lawman and gambler Wyatt Earp. It has roots in the Old English name Wyot, meaning "strong in war." These days, it's a name that denotes strength, dignity, loyalty, and a healthy sense of humor.
Going further back in history, the name Wyot is related to the Old French name Guyat and the Old High German name Wigheard. "Wig" means war and "heard" means hardy. "War hardy" is best understood as "strong in war" or "brave warrior."
In its early days, Wyatt was a last name – and it continued to be used mostly as a surname until the 20th century. In the U.S., the name Wyatt started to explode in popularity in the '90s, probably spurred by the 1993 film Tombstone and the 1994 film Wyatt Earp. Both movies are retellings of the life and legend of Wyatt Earp, played by Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner, respectively. (Interestingly, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn named their son Wyatt!)
While Wyatt is historically a masculine name, celebrity couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis subverted this tradition by naming their daughter Wyatt in 2014. Considering the growing popularity of gender-neutral baby names, Wyatt may be one to watch for baby girls.
Wyatt hit number 29 on the Social Security Administration's list of popular baby boy names in 2020. It first broke into the top 100 on the SSA list in 2004.
BabyCenter parents are also big fans of Wyatt: It's in the top 25 names for boys on BabyCenter's list. For girls, the name is still very unusual. Wyatt ranks around 1,800 on BabyCenter's list and doesn't appear in the top 1,000 names for girls collected by the Social Security Administration. (BabyCenter's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby's name with us.)
Despite the name's roots in old Europe, Wyatt is currently more common in North America. Americans and Canadians are more likely to choose this name for their children than parents anywhere else in the world.
Given its appealing Wild West mythology and steady climb up the charts, it's safe to assume that Wyatt will continue to be popular for many years to come. And like many popular names for boys, it may be on the verge of crossing over and becoming a popular name for baby girls, too.
