Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Wilder

Meaning untamed Gender Unisex · 7% girls Rank 2025 #431 Trend ↑ Rising 31%

Wilder is an English and German surname, sometimes used as a given name, meaning "untamed" or "wild", a wild, free, or natural state or existence, also passionately…

Rank 2025
#431
among boys · ↓41 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
786
named Wilder · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,299
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
978 babies
All-time total
8,835
#1,357 all-time among boys
First recorded
1914
in Social Security records

Wilder popularity over time

8,835 babies have been named Wilder since 1914, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 5 47 52 5 – #2,452
1920s 16 72 88 9 +69% #2,625
1930s – 26 26 3 -70% #2,329
1940s – 15 15 2 -42% #2,913
1950s – 16 16 2 +7% #3,701
1960s – 6 6 1 -62% #4,398
1970s – 5 5 1 -17% #5,734
1980s – 51 51 5 +920% #4,264
1990s – 155 155 16 +204% #3,364
2000s 12 366 378 38 +144% #2,262
2010s 213 2,652 2,865 287 +658% #485
2020s (to 2025) 392 4,786 5,178 863 +201% #367

Where Wilder 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 780 0.46 #409
2027 812 0.48 #391
2028 841 0.49 #376
2029 866 0.51 #369
2030 889 0.52 #365

Where Wilder is most popular

Boys named Wilder per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.474 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Maine, and Montana.

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 Wilder 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
Vermont 33 5.25 +1009%
Maine 45 2.32 +390%
Montana 39 2.21 +367%
New Hampshire 38 1.71 +261%
South Dakota 31 1.67 +252%
Arkansas 90 1.42 +200%
West Virginia 42 1.29 +172%
Idaho 48 1.17 +148%
Tennessee 210 1.16 +146%
Minnesota 134 1.09 +131%
Alaska 13 1.09 +130%
Mississippi 61 1.07 +127%
Oklahoma 94 1.06 +124%
Colorado 130 1.01 +113%
Kentucky 96 0.957 +102%
Oregon 72 0.949 +100%
Iowa 65 0.943 +99%
Alabama 102 0.933 +97%
South Carolina 93 0.900 +90%
Missouri 124 0.895 +89%
Washington 138 0.844 +78%
Wisconsin 95 0.802 +69%
Kansas 54 0.787 +66%
Utah 72 0.754 +59%
North Carolina 170 0.666 +41%
Virginia 126 0.664 +40%
North Dakota 11 0.644 +36%
Indiana 103 0.642 +36%
Georgia 162 0.639 +35%
Michigan 126 0.615 +30%
Massachusetts 60 0.436 -8%
Louisiana 43 0.420 -11%
Florida 193 0.408 -14%
Arizona 61 0.373 -21%
Ohio 97 0.366 -23%
Illinois 92 0.360 -24%
Pennsylvania 92 0.346 -27%
District of Columbia 5 0.339 -28%
California 284 0.311 -34%
Rhode Island 5 0.307 -35%
Maryland 35 0.293 -38%
Texas 246 0.279 -41%
Nebraska 12 0.276 -42%
New York 100 0.231 -51%
Connecticut 11 0.162 -66%
Nevada 7 0.123 -74%
New Jersey 16 0.079 -83%
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
New Mexico – – –
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 Wilder

Wilder is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #431 in 2025 with 743 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1914, 8,835 American babies have been named Wilder, about 93% boys and 7% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 978 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 Wilder stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Wilder?

The median living Wilder is about 4 years old; half are between 2 and 8. An estimated 8,600 people named Wilder are alive in the United States today.

median 4 020406080100

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

Wilder 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 43 #3,572 743 #431
2024 49 #3,275 836 #390
2023 51 #3,221 755 #422
2022 89 #2,155 867 #374
2021 88 #2,152 890 #367
2020 72 #2,438 695 #427
2019 47 #3,385 601 #485
2018 53 #3,104 540 #527
2017 33 #4,378 477 #573
2016 38 #3,991 338 #726
2015 22 #6,022 215 #965
2014 10 #10,916 134 #1,317
2013 5 #19,140 127 #1,344
2012 – – 93 #1,667
2011 – – 62 #2,143
2010 5 #19,689 65 #2,097
2009 5 #20,067 38 #3,103
2008 7 #15,326 59 #2,262
2007 – – 56 #2,336
2006 – – 37 #3,022
2005 – – 33 #3,170
2004 – – 45 #2,487
2003 – – 26 #3,524
2002 – – 25 #3,550
2001 – – 28 #3,225
2000 – – 19 #4,200
1995 – – 13 #4,784
1990 – – 14 #4,162
1985 – – 8 #5,131
1980 – – 5 #7,271
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – 5 #4,182
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 5 #5,747 7 #3,729
1920 – – 6 #4,271
1915 – – 9 #2,821
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Wilder

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

  1. 1 Wilder Penfield Wilder Penfield Canadian neurosurgeon 1891–1976 · 19th century
  2. 2 Wilder Cartagena Peruvian footballer (born 1994) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Wilder?

The median living Wilder is about 4 years old. Half of all living Wilders are between 2 and 8 years old.

How many people named Wilder are alive today?

An estimated 8,600 people named Wilder are alive in the United States, based on 8,835 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wilder mean?

Wilder is an English and German surname, sometimes used as a given name, meaning "untamed" or "wild", a wild, free, or natural state or existence, also passionately eager or enthusiastic.

How popular is the name Wilder in 2025?

Wilder ranked #431 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 743 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wilder?

8,835 babies have been named Wilder in the United States since 1914, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wilder most popular?

Wilder peaked in 2021, when 978 newborns received the name.

Is Wilder a boy or girl name?

Wilder is used for both: about 7% of babies named Wilder have been girls and 93% boys.

Is the name Wilder rising or falling?

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

Will Wilder become more popular?

Wilder is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 889 boys named Wilder in 2030, which would rank around #365. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Wilder?

Well-known people named Wilder include Wilder Penfield (biologist), Wilder Cartagena (soccer player).

Names like Wilder

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

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