Meaning: Its source is a Slavic expression meaning "The tribe of the Vandals."

Languages: This girl's name is used in German, Dutch, English, Italian and Polish.

Nicknames: Wan and Wendy

Compound Forms: Shawanda

Alternative Spellings: Wonda

Variant Forms: Elwanda, Lawanda, Tawanda, Towanda, Twanda, Vanda and Vonda

Popularity: The name Wanda ranked 87th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: The Vandals (or Wendlas) were an ancient Slavonic tribe whose destructive behavior gave us the modern term ''vandalism.'' This name may or may not be related to the similar name of a princess found in 18th-century Polish folk tales.