Wendy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feminine first name, famously given to the character Wendy Darling in J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan
2. A girl's given name, popularized in English-speaking countries and linked to the young heroine of Peter Pan
3. A female personal name, best known through the storybook girl who flies to Neverland with Peter Pan

Etymology: The name "Wendy" has a famous origin that is not a traditional one. It was coined by J. M. Barrie for his 1904 play "Peter Pan," where it appeared as a childish mispronunciation of "friendy." Barrie's young friend Margaret Henley, the daughter of the poet William Ernest Henley, had called him "my friendy" and she shortened it to "wendy" in her own speech, so Barrie borrowed the sound and gave it to the character Wendy Darling. Before the play, the name was essentially unused as a given name. Its success came from the character, and the name spread through the English-speaking world in the years after 1904, becoming widely popular for baby girls in the early to mid twentieth century. Some sources also link it to the word "wend," meaning to go or travel, but that connection is a coincidence rather than the source of the name.