Wilbur
Boy name · #3950 in 2025 · Uniqueness 70/100
Wilbur ranks #3950 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 27 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #3591, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 66,667 boys born in 2025 was named Wilbur.
The 145-year story
Wilbur first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 82 boys received the name. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,800 boys were named Wilbur — good for #97 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. 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 Wilbur per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Wilbur against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Wilbur in class?
Wilbur scores 70 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Wilbur will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Wilbur is most common
State-level data for Wilbur is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Wilbur
Statistically, parents drawn to Wilbur tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Wilfred, Weldon, Willard, Russel, and Lester.
WilfredWeldonWillardRusselLesterClaudeRufusWillis
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Wilbur | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | #3949 |
| 2024 | 42 | #2958 |
| 2023 | 33 | #3474 |
| 2022 | 30 | #3691 |
| 2021 | 25 | #4118 |
| 2020 | 21 | #4540 |
| 2019 | 37 | #3143 |
| 2018 | 28 | #3793 |
| 2017 | 28 | #3781 |
| 2016 | 25 | #4098 |
| 2015 | 30 | #3591 |
| 2014 | 23 | #4263 |
| 2013 | 22 | #4313 |
| 2012 | 15 | #5720 |
| 2011 | 21 | #4509 |
| 2010 | 22 | #4366 |
| 2009 | 24 | #4160 |
| 2008 | 24 | #4145 |
| 2007 | 28 | #3687 |
| 2006 | 24 | #4001 |
| 2005 | 19 | #4464 |
| 2004 | 26 | #3534 |
| 2003 | 29 | #3186 |
| 2002 | 27 | #3259 |
| 2001 | 28 | #3143 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Wilbur a popular boy name?
Wilbur ranked #3950 among boys in 2025 with 27 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3591.
When was the name Wilbur most popular?
Wilbur peaked in 1918, when 1,800 American boys received the name (ranked #97 that year). Since 1918 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Wilbur?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 66,667 newborn American boys was named Wilbur. It scores 70/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
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.