boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Wes

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #716 Trend ↑ Rising 72%

Wes is a common English given name, often a diminutive for Wesley or Weston.

Rank 2025
#716
among boys · ↑28 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
376
named Wes · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,543
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
376 babies
All-time total
6,786
#1,486 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Wes popularity over time

6,786 babies have been named Wes since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2025Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s 23 2 – #845
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s 19 2 – #2,449
1920s 39 4 +105% #4,176
1930s 51 5 +31% #2,155
1940s 160 16 +214% #1,361
1950s 485 49 +203% #701
1960s 1,110 111 +129% #630
1970s 571 57 -49% #868
1980s 392 39 -31% #1,312
1990s 228 23 -42% #2,127
2000s 480 48 +111% #1,931
2010s 1,397 140 +191% #982
2020s (to 2025) 1,831 305 +118% #716

Where Wes is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 412 0.24 outside top 500
2027 445 0.26 outside top 500
2028 475 0.28 outside top 500
2029 502 0.29 outside top 500
2030 527 0.31 outside top 500

Where Wes is most popular

Boys named Wes per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.187 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Louisiana, and Massachusetts.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Wes born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Utah 63 0.660 +253%
Louisiana 57 0.557 +198%
Massachusetts 64 0.465 +149%
Idaho 17 0.415 +122%
Minnesota 42 0.342 +83%
Michigan 65 0.317 +70%
Washington 50 0.306 +63%
New Jersey 60 0.298 +59%
Montana 5 0.284 +52%
Wisconsin 33 0.279 +49%
New York 120 0.277 +48%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 +45%
Connecticut 18 0.266 +42%
Pennsylvania 70 0.264 +41%
Arizona 40 0.244 +31%
Illinois 57 0.223 +19%
California 184 0.201 +8%
Oregon 13 0.171 -8%
Virginia 32 0.169 -10%
Maryland 20 0.168 -10%
Colorado 20 0.155 -17%
Missouri 21 0.152 -19%
Ohio 40 0.151 -19%
North Carolina 37 0.145 -23%
Georgia 34 0.134 -28%
Florida 61 0.129 -31%
Texas 106 0.120 -36%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -39%
Iowa 7 0.102 -46%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -53%
Tennessee 12 0.066 -64%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -70%
Indiana 8 0.050 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Wes

Wes is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #716 in 2025 with 376 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 6,786 American babies have been named Wes. Its peak came in 2025, when 376 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Wes stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Wes?

The median living Wes is about 14 years old; half are between 4 and 53. An estimated 6,200 people named Wes are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Wes year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 376 #716
2024 346 #744
2023 310 #800
2022 315 #801
2021 268 #867
2020 216 #991
2019 217 #982
2018 191 #1,063
2017 180 #1,089
2016 160 #1,193
2015 143 #1,265
2014 122 #1,395
2013 122 #1,386
2012 94 #1,655
2011 83 #1,769
2010 85 #1,767
2009 66 #2,097
2008 75 #1,931
2007 56 #2,334
2006 66 #2,035
2005 49 #2,397
2004 39 #2,740
2003 37 #2,726
2002 33 #2,880
2001 33 #2,862
2000 26 #3,296
1995 21 #3,298
1990 35 #2,127
1985 40 #1,613
1980 52 #1,312
1975 36 #1,503
1970 87 #868
1965 100 #744
1960 138 #669
1955 38 #1,239
1950 15 #2,017
1945 22 #1,443
1940 – –
1935 9 #2,713
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 6 #4,269
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 5 #1,051

Famous people named Wes

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Wes Anderson Wes Anderson American filmmaker (born 1969) Contemporary
  2. 2 Wes Bentley Wes Bentley American actor (born 1978) Contemporary
  3. 3 Wes Craven Wes Craven American filmmaker (1939–2015) Contemporary
  4. 4 Wes Studi Wes Studi Cherokee actor and film producer (born 1947) Contemporary
  5. 5 Wes Borland Wes Borland American guitarist and vocalist (born 1975) Contemporary
  6. 6 Wes Chatham Wes Chatham American actor (born 1978) Contemporary
  7. 7 Wes Brown Wes Brown English footballer (born 1979) Contemporary
  8. 8 Wes Unseld Wes Unseld American basketball player and coach (1946–2020) Contemporary
  9. 9 Wes Ball Wes Ball American film director b. 1980 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Wes Montgomery Wes Montgomery American jazz guitarist (1923–1968) Contemporary
  11. 11 Wes Ramsey American actor b. 1977 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Wes Hoolahan Wes Hoolahan Irish footballer (born 1982) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Wes, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Wes?

The median living Wes is about 14 years old. Half of all living Wess are between 4 and 53 years old.

How many people named Wes are alive today?

An estimated 6,200 people named Wes are alive in the United States, based on 6,786 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wes mean?

Wes is a common English given name, often a diminutive for Wesley or Weston.

How popular is the name Wes in 2025?

Wes ranked #716 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 376 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wes?

6,786 babies have been named Wes in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wes most popular?

Wes peaked in 2025, when 376 newborns received the name.

Is Wes a boy or girl name?

Wes is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Wes rising or falling?

Wes is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Wes become more popular?

Wes is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 527 boys named Wes in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Wes?

Well-known people named Wes include Wes Anderson (film director), Wes Bentley (actor), Wes Craven (film director).

Names like Wes

Names that sound and feel close to Wes: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Wes with similar names → More names starting with W →