Baby Name of the Day Wyatt: Rugged and Storied

The baby name Wyatt galloped up the popularity charts in the late 1990s to become a Top 100 staple in recent years.

Thanks to Lauren for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME WYATT MEAN?

The baby name Wyatt comes from an Old English origin, an Anglo-Saxon name that is completely extinct today: Wigheard.

It comes from Germanic elements. Wig- means battle, and similar names beginning with Wig- abounded. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources lists gems like Wigbald and Wigmar. There’s also Hedwig and Ludwig, the latter of which became classic Louis.

The second element might come from hard, meaning brave or strong – think Richard. Or it might mean army, as in Harold and Herbert and Herman, too. 

Poetic meanings like “brave warrior” are sometimes given. That’s not wrong, but it’s also not quite that straightforward.

From Wigheard, it eventually became Wiot or Wyot.

It became Wyot in English, and appeared as a first name and a given name. It also served – at least occasionally – as a nickname for William or Guy. If that’s confusing, remember that the Normans brought the French Guillaume to England, which became William. So G and W swapped at least a few times.

FAMOUS FIGURES

During the 15th century, Henry Wyatt supported the claims of Henry VII to the throne of England. He rose to a position as one of the king’s most trusted advisors, and later served as guardian of a young Henry VIII.

Fast-forward to 1554, and Henry’s grandson, Thomas the Younger, led Wyatt’s Rebellion. Thomas Wyatt and other like-minded nobles objected to Queen Mary I’s plans to marry Philip of Spain. Their reasons mixed religious and political considerations. The rebellion failed, and Thomas was executed as a traitor.

But the family remained influential, and Thomas the Younger’s grandson, Sir Francis Wyatt, served as royal governor of the Virginia colony beginning in 1621. Wyatt descendants have been in the US ever since.

WYATT EARP

Hands down, the most famous bearer of the name was Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp, best remembered as a lawman in the Wild West. Earp famously took place in the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.

So where did the real-life Earp get his name? His father, Nicholas Earp, had served in the Mexican-American War under Captain Wyatt Berry Stapp. Stapp was named for his father.

When Earp was born in 1848, the name would’ve been rare as a first, but likely more familiar as a surname.

While we remember Earp as a lawman, his biography is more complex. He left Illinois to seek his fortune in the West, like so many other young men. Earp worked – and gambled. He landed on the wrong side of the law at least once, for stealing a horse, and operated a brothel. But eventually, Earp became an officer of the law, first in Kansas and then, fatefully, in Arizona.

Earp survived the gunfight, and emerged as a symbol of civilization imposed on the outlaws of the West. Along with Doc Holliday, he hunted down many of their adversaries who survived the OK Corral gunfight.

WYATT IN POP CULTURE

As the years passed, Earp’s legend grew.

During the 1950s, during the age of hit television Westerns like Gunsmoke, ABC introduced The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. It, too, was a big hit, and boosted use of the name. 

The name faded in use as the series left the air, but it never disappeared entirely.

In 1993, Kurt Russell played Wyatt Earp in Tombstone.

Six months later, Kevin Costner starred in the title role in Wyatt Earp.

It was the rebirth of the Western in Hollywood. Young Guns had been a smash hit in 1988, and nearly every A-lister made a Western of some sort in the era. Think of Tom Cruise in Far and Away or Billy Crystal’s City Slickers. 

The baby name Wyatt came with several advantages.

• Earp is generally considered the hero in most tales.
• It’s distinctive, unlike the names of many other Old West figures – think Billy, Henry, or Tom.
• But it’s clearly a name, unlike Doc or other nicknames.

Both Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner used the name for their sons. Russell welcomed son Wyatt in 1986. He’s now an actor in his own right. Costner’s son Caden was born in 2007, with the middle name Wyatt. 

Fictional characters by the name range from a super-powerful male witch introduced in a later season of smash hit supernatural series Charmed, to characters from Paranormal Activity to The Bold and the Beautiful to The Hunger Games universe.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME WYATT?

The baby name Wyatt has ranked in the US Top 1000 popular names for boys most years since 1880 – but not all.

It wasn’t until the 1950s, with that wave of Wild West nostalgia, that Wyatt consistently charted and started climbing into the mainstream. 

During the 1990s, lifted by Hollywood, the baby name Wyatt broke into the Top 200. Since 2004, it’s ranked in the US Top 100, and as of 2025 the name stands at #38.

IS WYATT A UNISEX NAME?

Does Wyatt cross gender lines?

At first glance, the answer is no. Wyatt has never ranked in the US Top 1000 for girls. But 198 girls were named Wyatt in 2024, and 145 in 2025.

That’s nothing compared to Wyatt’s use as a boy’s name, but it is reasonably familiar.

High profile uses of Wyatt as a feminine name include:

• Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher welcomed daughter Wyatt Isabelle in 2014.
• Retired football player Jason Kelce and podcaster wife Kylie named their firstborn daughter Wyatt Elizabeth in 2019. They’re also the parents of Elliotte, Bennett, and Finnley. 

MODERN TRADITIONAL

Between the late 20th century and the 2020s, the baby name Wyatt became a modern traditional choice. It’s slightly rugged with a hint of the Old West about it. But only a hint. 

It fits in nicely with favorites like  Everett, Beckett, Bennett, and Elliot in favor, Wyatt fits right in. It’s a little bit rugged, but plenty of polish, too. File it somewhere between William and Maverick, the perfect baby name for parents who can appreciate the appeal of old school classics and modern confidence, too. 

What do you think of the baby name Wyatt? 

This post was originally published on May 10, 2008. It was substantially revised and re-posted on October 20, 2014; December 30, 2020; and August 17, 2026.