Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1918

Wilbur

Meaning will Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #4,040 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

From an Old English female given name Wilburg, from wil (“will”) + burh (“fortress”).

Rank 2025
#4,040
among boys · ↓1,042 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
27
named Wilbur · -36% vs 2024
How common
1 in 63,262
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1918
1,809 babies
All-time total
57,196
#465 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Wilbur popularity over time

57,196 babies have been named Wilbur 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
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 914 914 91 – #119
1890s – 1,142 1,142 114 +25% #118
1900s – 1,839 1,839 184 +61% #106
1910s 64 12,411 12,475 1,248 +578% #91
1920s 121 15,713 15,834 1,583 +27% #98
1930s 65 9,044 9,109 911 -42% #141
1940s 23 5,962 5,985 599 -34% #193
1950s 17 4,133 4,150 415 -31% #308
1960s – 2,572 2,572 257 -38% #426
1970s – 1,273 1,273 127 -51% #599
1980s – 782 782 78 -39% #881
1990s – 433 433 43 -45% #1,500
2000s – 259 259 26 -40% #2,991
2010s – 251 251 25 -3% #3,192
2020s (to 2025) – 178 178 30 +18% #2,998

Where Wilbur 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 28 0.02 outside top 500
2027 28 0.02 outside top 500
2028 29 0.02 outside top 500
2029 29 0.02 outside top 500
2030 30 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Wilbur

Wilbur is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #4,040 in 2025 with 27 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 57,196 American babies have been named Wilbur. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,809 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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 Wilbur stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Wilbur?

The median living Wilbur is about 70 years old; half are between 57 and 80. An estimated 13 thousand people named Wilbur are alive in the United States today.

median 70 020406080100

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

Wilbur year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 27 #4,040
2024 – – 42 #2,998
2023 – – 33 #3,560
2022 – – 30 #3,768
2021 – – 25 #4,233
2020 – – 21 #4,688
2019 – – 37 #3,192
2018 – – 28 #3,882
2017 – – 28 #3,883
2016 – – 25 #4,192
2015 – – 30 #3,679
2014 – – 23 #4,383
2013 – – 22 #4,456
2012 – – 15 #5,979
2011 – – 21 #4,648
2010 – – 22 #4,513
2009 – – 24 #4,270
2008 – – 24 #4,262
2007 – – 28 #3,790
2006 – – 24 #4,097
2005 – – 19 #4,627
2004 – – 26 #3,630
2003 – – 29 #3,274
2002 – – 27 #3,344
2001 – – 28 #3,224
2000 – – 30 #2,991
1995 – – 41 #2,054
1990 – – 52 #1,613
1985 – – 80 #1,032
1980 – – 95 #919
1975 – – 122 #757
1970 – – 149 #671
1965 – – 255 #485
1960 – – 354 #426
1955 – – 435 #346
1950 – – 488 #308
1945 5 #5,221 508 #259
1940 6 #4,335 705 #193
1935 8 #3,423 861 #166
1930 9 #3,337 1,214 #141
1925 12 #2,934 1,597 #110
1920 14 #2,583 1,741 #98
1915 – – 1,685 #92
1910 – – 298 #104
1905 – – 167 #132
1900 – – 161 #139
1895 – – 125 #133
1890 – – 94 #150
1885 – – 92 #148
1880 – – 82 #162

Famous people named Wilbur

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

  1. 1 Wilbur Smith Wilbur Smith South African novelist (1933–2021) Contemporary
  2. 2 Wilbur Ross Wilbur Ross American businessman (born 1937) Contemporary
  3. 3 Wilbur Scoville Wilbur Scoville American pharmacist (1865–1942) 19th century
  4. 4 Wilbur Thompson Wilbur Thompson American track and field athlete 1921–2013 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Wilbur?

The median living Wilbur is about 70 years old. Half of all living Wilburs are between 57 and 80 years old.

How many people named Wilbur are alive today?

An estimated 13 thousand people named Wilbur are alive in the United States, based on 57,196 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wilbur mean?

From an Old English female given name Wilburg, from wil (“will”) + burh (“fortress”).

How popular is the name Wilbur in 2025?

Wilbur ranked #4,040 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 27 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wilbur?

57,196 babies have been named Wilbur in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wilbur most popular?

Wilbur peaked in 1918, when 1,809 newborns received the name.

Is Wilbur a boy or girl name?

Wilbur is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Wilbur rising or falling?

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

Will Wilbur become more popular?

Wilbur is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 30 boys named Wilbur 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 Wilbur?

Well-known people named Wilbur include Wilbur Smith (writer), Wilbur Ross (politician), Wilbur Scoville (biologist).

Names like Wilbur

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

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