US Name Trends

Wilbur

English surname, probably from Old English Wilburh, “will-fortress”; aviation’s Wilbur Wright and Charlotte’s Web keep it warm.

1918peak year
No. 91best rank (1913)
57,196babies since 1880
outside top 1000 in 2025

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Wilbur per year — peak 1,800▬ girls ▬ boys18801900192019401960198020002020

Wilbur appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1912 to 1921. Its biggest year was 1918, when 1,800 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 97 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1913, at No. 91. All told, 57,196 Americans have been given the name since 1880.

Related names

Other spellings on record: Wilber (6,902) (total births since 1880)

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By the decade

DecadeBirthsBest rank
1880s914No. 118
1890s1,142No. 117
1900s1,839No. 105
1910s12,411No. 91
1920s15,713No. 98
1930s9,044No. 141
1940s5,962No. 193
1950s4,133No. 307
1960s2,572No. 426
1970s1,273No. 597
1980s782No. 875
1990s433No. 1482
2000s259No. 2922
2010s251No. 3143
2020s178No. 2958

Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.

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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.