Boys' name · since 1880
Wiley
Wiley has 18,400 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #867 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,223 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 18,400
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
18,400 babies have been named Wiley since 1880, making it today's #1223 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wiley has been recorded 18,400 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1223 nationally and more common than 91% 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.
- #867 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,223 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 18,400 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wiley ranks #867 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,223 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 18,400 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #867 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,223 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 18,400
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Wiley's 18,400 recorded births place it above 98.09% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
34 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Wiley compares
18,400 Top 7% higher than 93% of 13,930 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
Wiley's all-time total is 50x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wiley | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 18,400 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 304 | 34 | 22,252 |
Wiley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Wiley's full recorded timeline at 1953, 39% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 61% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1983, with just 38 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 304 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Wiley popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 304
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Wiley popularity over time - girls
394 total births recorded since 1921 (Wiley as girls' name)
Wiley by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (2,621 births, 14% of the file).
1920s was Wiley's strongest decade.
2,621 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Wiley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 726
1880s
726 births
- 1890s 576
1890s
576 births
- 1900s 590
1900s
590 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,676 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,621 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,320 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,179 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,735 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,147 births
- 1970s 700
1970s
700 births
- 1980s 528
1980s
528 births
- 1990s 534
1990s
534 births
- 2000s 795
2000s
795 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,199 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,074 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,621 births (14% of all-time use).
How Wiley 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 Wiley's total volume
Wiley by state
Where Wiley concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 1,669 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,477 | 8.0% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 1,339 | 7.3% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 1,081 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 848 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 837 | 4.5% |
| #7 | California | | 634 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 621 | 3.4% |
1,669 of 18,400 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 34 reporting states.
Wiley appears in 34 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wiley? ▼
Where does Wiley sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wiley most popular? ▼
Where is Wiley most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wiley been used? ▼
What names are similar to Wiley? ▼
What to do with Wiley's data
- Wiley's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (2,621 total births) through the 2020s (1,074) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- North Carolina records the most Wileys (1,669 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wiley
Nearby Names Like Wiley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wiley
Compare Wiley side by side: Wiley vs William Wiley vs Willie Wiley vs Willard
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wiley
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wiley: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Wiley 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 August 2026.