Wells
Boy name · #347 in 2025 · Uniqueness 28/100
Wells ranks #347 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 944 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1729, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,907 boys born in 2025 was named Wells.
The 144-year story
Wells first appears in the Social Security records in 1881, when 5 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 944 babies and a rank of #345. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Wells per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Wells against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Wells in class?
Wells scores 28 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "popular" band. A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Wells is most common
Geography matters for names, and Wells is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Wellss were TX (85), NC (54), UT (51), TN (37), MI (35). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Wells
Statistically, parents drawn to Wells tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Banks, Briggs, Ares, Amias, and Wilder.
BanksBriggsAresAmiasWilderOziasRhodesCairo
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Wells | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 944 | #345 |
| 2024 | 869 | #377 |
| 2023 | 696 | #447 |
| 2022 | 659 | #467 |
| 2021 | 621 | #482 |
| 2020 | 521 | #545 |
| 2019 | 432 | #626 |
| 2018 | 327 | #730 |
| 2017 | 233 | #916 |
| 2016 | 124 | #1413 |
| 2015 | 89 | #1729 |
| 2014 | 88 | #1714 |
| 2013 | 60 | #2182 |
| 2012 | 51 | #2448 |
| 2011 | 37 | #3046 |
| 2010 | 32 | #3377 |
| 2009 | 19 | #4922 |
| 2008 | 17 | #5249 |
| 2007 | 17 | #5210 |
| 2006 | 17 | #5072 |
| 2005 | 22 | #4062 |
| 2004 | 22 | #4005 |
| 2003 | 18 | #4426 |
| 2002 | 10 | #6522 |
| 2001 | 9 | #6935 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Wells a popular boy name?
Wells ranked #347 among boys in 2025 with 944 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #1729.
When was the name Wells most popular?
Wells peaked in 2025, when 944 American boys received the name (ranked #345 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Wells?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,907 newborn American boys was named Wells. It scores 28/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "popular".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.