Boys' name · since 1880
Wilford
10,442 babies named Wilford in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1926. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,178 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,245 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,442
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Wilford is the #8245 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 10,442 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Wilford recorded 10,442 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #8245 nationally today, ahead of 41% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,178 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #8,245 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 10,442 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wilford ranks #1,178 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,245 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 10,442 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,178 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,245 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,442
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Wilford's 10,442 recorded births place it above 97.4% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
37 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Wilford compares
10,442 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Wilford's all-time total is 28x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wilford | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,442 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 276 | 34 | 22,252 |
Wilford's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Wilford's full recorded timeline at 1951, 24% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 76% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2002, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1926 peak of 276 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Wilford popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1926)
- 276
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Wilford popularity over time - girls
5 total births recorded since 1925 (Wilford as girls' name)
Wilford by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (2,492 births, 24% of the file).
1920s was Wilford's strongest decade.
2,492 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Wilford births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 170
1880s
170 births
- 1890s 191
1890s
191 births
- 1900s 246
1900s
246 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,698 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,492 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,689 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,346 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,071 births
- 1960s 598
1960s
598 births
- 1970s 390
1970s
390 births
- 1980s 228
1980s
228 births
- 1990s 127
1990s
127 births
- 2000s 72
2000s
72 births
- 2010s 86
2010s
86 births
- 2020s 38
2020s
38 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,492 births (24% of all-time use).
How Wilford 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 Wilford's total volume
Wilford by state
Where Wilford concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 798 | 7.6% |
| #2 | Missouri | | 381 | 3.6% |
| #3 | Utah | | 325 | 3.1% |
| #4 | Louisiana | | 321 | 3.1% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 303 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 299 | 2.9% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 280 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 253 | 2.4% |
798 of 10,442 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 37 reporting states.
Wilford appears in 37 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wilford? ▼
Where does Wilford sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wilford most popular? ▼
Where is Wilford most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wilford been used? ▼
What names are similar to Wilford? ▼
What to do with Wilford's data
- Wilford's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,492 total births); usage has since declined to 38 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Wilfords (798 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wilford
Nearby Names Like Wilford
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wilford
Compare Wilford side by side: Wilford vs William Wilford vs Willie Wilford vs Willard
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wilford
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wilford: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1926)
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 Wilford 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.