Total births
56,906
Boys' name · since 1880
Wilbur
56,906 babies named Wilbur in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2959
- among boys today
- 56,906
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 79%
- more common than other boys
Wilbur currently ranks #2959 among boys' names in America, with 56,906 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wilbur has been recorded 56,906 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #2959 nationally and more common than 79% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2959 among boys today
- 56,906 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 79% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Wilbur is currently the #2959 boys' name in America, more common than 79% of boys - 56,906 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2959
- among boys today
- 56,906
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 79%
- more common than other boys
Wilbur vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2959
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 79% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Wilbur was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
1,800 babies were named Wilbur in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Wilbur compares
56,906 Top 3% higher than 97% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Wilbur's all-time total is 155x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wilbur | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 56,906 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,800 | 23 | 22,252 |
Wilbur's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Wilbur's full recorded timeline at 1953, 15% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 85% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2012, with just 15 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 1,800 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Wilbur at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#2,959
Active since
1880
Wilbur popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 1,800
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Wilbur popularity over time - girls
290 total births recorded since 1912 (Wilbur as girls' name)
Wilbur by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Wilbur's strongest decade.
15,713 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Wilbur births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 914
1880s
914 births
- 1890s 1,142
1890s
1,142 births
- 1900s 1,839
1900s
1,839 births
- 1910s
1910s
12,411 births
- 1920s
1920s
15,713 births
- 1930s
1930s
9,044 births
- 1940s 5,962
1940s
5,962 births
- 1950s 4,133
1950s
4,133 births
- 1960s 2,572
1960s
2,572 births
- 1970s 1,273
1970s
1,273 births
- 1980s 782
1980s
782 births
- 1990s 433
1990s
433 births
- 2000s 259
2000s
259 births
- 2010s 251
2010s
251 births
- 2020s 178
2020s
178 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 15,713 births (28% of all-time use).
How Wilbur compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Wilbur's total volume
Wilbur vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Wilbur by state
Where Wilbur concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ohio | | 4,201 | 7.4% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 4,135 | 7.3% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 3,287 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Indiana | | 2,495 | 4.4% |
| #5 | New York | | 2,410 | 4.2% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 1,943 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 1,863 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 1,811 | 3.2% |
Ohio share of Wilbur's total US births 7.4%
Even split
4,201 of 56,906 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Wilbur appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wilbur? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 56,906 babies named Wilbur. Today it holds rank #2959 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 1,800 births.
When was Wilbur most popular? ▼
Wilbur was most popular in the 1920s decade with 15,713 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Wilbur most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Wilbur are Ohio (4,201 births), Pennsylvania (4,135 births), Illinois (3,287 births).
How long has the name Wilbur been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Wilbur since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Wilbur? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include William, Willie, Willard, Willis, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Wilbur's data
- Wilbur's decade-level peak was the 1920s (15,713 total births); usage has since declined to 178 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Ohio records the most Wilburs (4,201 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Ohio names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wilbur
Nearby Names Like Wilbur
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wilbur
William Boy
#10 4,199,696 births
Willie Boy
#1364 450,188 births
Willard Boy
#2958 77,658 births
Willis Boy
#2638 52,336 births
Wilson Boy
#644 48,807 births
Compare Wilbur side by side: Wilbur vs William Wilbur vs Willie Wilbur vs Willard
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wilbur
Willard #2958
77,658 births · Peak 1915
Ike #2960
7,342 births · Peak 1953
Keylor #2957
738 births · Peak 2022
Bradford #2961
32,075 births · Peak 1953
Llewyn #2956
542 births · Peak 2022
Weldon #2962
14,249 births · Peak 1920
Kaspian #2955
343 births · Peak 2025
Elden #2963
5,921 births · Peak 1922
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Wilbur: #2959 Boys' Name - 56,906 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/wilbur. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Wilbur draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.