boys' name ★ peaked 1918

Wilson

Meaning From Will (short form of William) +‎ -son Gender Boy Rank 2025 #673 Trend → Stable

From Will (short form of William) +‎ -son.

Rank 2025
#673
among boys · ↓28 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
405
named Wilson · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,217
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1918
1,381 babies
All-time total
49,017
#520 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Wilson popularity over time

49,017 babies have been named Wilson 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 660 660 66 – #165
1890s – 597 597 60 -10% #200
1900s – 759 759 76 +27% #204
1910s 24 6,835 6,859 686 +804% #122
1920s 34 5,022 5,056 506 -26% #221
1930s – 3,696 3,696 370 -27% #273
1940s 5 4,359 4,364 436 +18% #265
1950s – 3,383 3,383 338 -22% #359
1960s – 2,660 2,660 266 -21% #440
1970s 10 2,308 2,318 232 -13% #475
1980s 22 2,862 2,884 288 +24% #491
1990s 46 4,144 4,190 419 +45% #431
2000s 31 4,884 4,915 492 +17% #465
2010s 27 4,238 4,265 427 -13% #585
2020s (to 2025) 11 2,400 2,411 402 -6% #645

Where Wilson 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 407 0.24 outside top 500
2027 408 0.24 outside top 500
2028 410 0.24 outside top 500
2029 411 0.24 outside top 500
2030 412 0.24 outside top 500

Where Wilson is most popular

Boys named Wilson per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.231 per 1,000. Strongest in Alabama, South Carolina, and Minnesota.

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 Wilson 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
Alabama 68 0.622 +169%
South Carolina 55 0.532 +130%
Minnesota 57 0.465 +101%
Tennessee 82 0.454 +96%
Mississippi 24 0.422 +83%
Massachusetts 53 0.385 +67%
Virginia 69 0.364 +57%
Arkansas 23 0.363 +57%
North Carolina 88 0.345 +49%
Georgia 87 0.343 +48%
Utah 28 0.293 +27%
Indiana 46 0.287 +24%
Missouri 39 0.281 +22%
Wisconsin 32 0.270 +17%
Maryland 30 0.252 +9%
Colorado 32 0.248 +7%
Ohio 65 0.245 +6%
New York 106 0.245 +6%
Idaho 10 0.244 +6%
New Jersey 48 0.238 ≈ national
Kentucky 23 0.229 ≈ national
Washington 37 0.226 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 59 0.222 ≈ national
Texas 194 0.220 -5%
Louisiana 22 0.215 -7%
California 181 0.198 -14%
Kansas 13 0.190 -18%
Iowa 13 0.189 -18%
Florida 85 0.180 -22%
Arizona 29 0.177 -23%
Illinois 43 0.168 -27%
Oregon 12 0.158 -32%
Michigan 25 0.122 -47%
Connecticut 8 0.118 -49%
Nebraska 5 0.115 -50%
Oklahoma 7 0.079 -66%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
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 Wilson

Wilson is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #673 in 2025 with 405 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 49,017 American babies have been named Wilson. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,381 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 Wilson stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Wilson?

The median living Wilson is about 32 years old; half are between 16 and 58. An estimated 28 thousand people named Wilson are alive in the United States today.

median 32 020406080100

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

Wilson 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 – – 405 #673
2024 – – 432 #645
2023 – – 404 #675
2022 – – 387 #689
2021 6 #15,139 370 #710
2020 5 #17,388 402 #656
2019 – – 417 #645
2018 6 #15,582 433 #619
2017 5 #18,308 404 #642
2016 – – 439 #615
2015 5 #18,973 433 #621
2014 5 #19,074 461 #597
2013 6 #16,426 391 #631
2012 – – 422 #600
2011 – – 409 #603
2010 – – 429 #585
2009 – – 488 #541
2008 – – 492 #539
2007 5 #20,428 473 #543
2006 5 #19,928 507 #512
2005 6 #16,367 516 #484
2004 – – 547 #465
2003 – – 468 #515
2002 – – 509 #469
2001 10 #10,076 463 #497
2000 5 #17,550 421 #526
1995 6 #13,346 410 #504
1990 9 #9,229 417 #480
1985 5 #12,460 276 #526
1980 – – 284 #502
1975 – – 217 #548
1970 5 #9,336 288 #475
1965 – – 250 #489
1960 – – 281 #475
1955 – – 337 #396
1950 – – 352 #359
1945 – – 398 #300
1940 – – 447 #265
1935 – – 341 #296
1930 – – 430 #273
1925 – – 445 #272
1920 7 #4,392 583 #221
1915 5 #4,949 767 #154
1910 – – 112 #223
1905 – – 73 #227
1900 – – 89 #208
1895 – – 71 #205
1890 – – 67 #200
1885 – – 59 #208
1880 – – 72 #179

Famous people named Wilson

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

  1. 1 Wilson Bethel Actor, United States b. 1984 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett American singer and songwriter (1941–2006) Contemporary
  3. 3 Wilson Cruz Wilson Cruz American actor b. 1973 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Wilson Palacios Wilson Palacios Honduran footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  5. 5 Wilson Chandler Wilson Chandler American basketball player (born 1987) Contemporary
  6. 6 Wilson Bentley Wilson Bentley American photographer known for photographing snowflakes 1865–1931 · 19th century
  7. 7 Wilson Kipketer Wilson Kipketer Danish former middle distance runner (born 1972) Contemporary
  8. 8 Wilson Greatbatch American engineer and inventor (1919–2011) Contemporary
  9. 9 Wilson Oruma Wilson Oruma Nigerian footballer (born 1976) Contemporary
  10. 10 Wilson da Silva Piazza Wilson da Silva Piazza Brazilian footballer b. 1943 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich Kenyan long-distance runner (born 1982) Contemporary
  12. 12 Wilson Pérez Colombian footballer (born 1967) Contemporary
  13. 13 Wilson Boit Kipketer Kenyan middle-distance runner b. 1973 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Wilson Rodrigues Fonseca Wilson Rodrigues Fonseca Brazilian footballer b. 1985 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Wilson Deodato da Silva Brazilian footballer b. 1981 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Wilson?

The median living Wilson is about 32 years old. Half of all living Wilsons are between 16 and 58 years old.

How many people named Wilson are alive today?

An estimated 28 thousand people named Wilson are alive in the United States, based on 49,017 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wilson mean?

From Will (short form of William) +‎ -son.

How popular is the name Wilson in 2025?

Wilson ranked #673 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 405 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wilson?

49,017 babies have been named Wilson in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wilson most popular?

Wilson peaked in 1918, when 1,381 newborns received the name.

Is Wilson a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Wilson rising or falling?

Wilson has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Wilson become more popular?

Wilson looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 412 boys named Wilson in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Wilson?

Well-known people named Wilson include Wilson Bethel (actor), Wilson Pickett (singer), Wilson Cruz (actor).

Names like Wilson

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

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