Wilford
Wilford was given to 9 boys in 2025, #8,868 among boys’ names; 10,447 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 2,850 Americans named Wilford and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (27% of everyone recorded); the median is 68 years old and half are between 52 and 78.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Wilford by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
How popular is Wilford?
#8,868 among boys’ names, 2025
Wilford fell from #8,000 in 2015 to #8,868 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 5.2 to 5.3 per million.
276 babies in 1926, the peak
Wilford peaked in 1926, when 276 boys were given it, #349 among boys’ names. The 9 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #8,868 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 5 | #14,160 | under 0.01 |
| 2023 | 10 | #8,219 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 7 | #10,775 | under 0.01 |
| 2020 | 7 | #10,543 | under 0.01 |
| 2018 | 6 | #12,063 | under 0.01 |
| 2017 | 10 | #8,105 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 8 | #9,608 | under 0.01 |
| 2015 | 10 | #8,000 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 11 | #7,521 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (143)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 9 | #8,739 | under 0.01 |
| 2012 | 7 | #10,703 | under 0.01 |
| 2011 | 10 | #8,035 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 15 | #6,016 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 8 | #9,820 | under 0.01 |
| 2007 | 5 | #14,296 | under 0.01 |
| 2006 | 5 | #13,932 | under 0.01 |
| 2005 | 9 | #8,260 | under 0.01 |
| 2004 | 8 | #8,881 | under 0.01 |
| 2003 | 5 | #12,682 | under 0.01 |
| 2002 | 5 | #12,417 | under 0.01 |
| 2001 | 13 | #5,649 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 14 | #5,281 | 0.01 |
| 1999 | 17 | #4,331 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 8 | #7,520 | under 0.01 |
| 1997 | 10 | #6,078 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 9 | #6,475 | under 0.01 |
| 1995 | 14 | #4,496 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 7 | #7,738 | under 0.01 |
| 1993 | 15 | #4,209 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 14 | #4,310 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 18 | #3,445 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 15 | #3,959 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 25 | #2,606 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 20 | #2,852 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 18 | #2,936 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 22 | #2,506 | 0.01 |
| 1985 | 11 | #4,036 | 0.01 |
| 1984 | 26 | #2,093 | 0.01 |
| 1983 | 24 | #2,204 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 37 | #1,650 | 0.02 |
| 1981 | 20 | #2,493 | 0.01 |
| 1980 | 25 | #2,160 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 34 | #1,709 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 32 | #1,717 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 37 | #1,545 | 0.02 |
| 1976 | 37 | #1,500 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 43 | #1,344 | 0.03 |
| 1974 | 44 | #1,288 | 0.03 |
| 1973 | 26 | #1,779 | 0.02 |
| 1972 | 48 | #1,195 | 0.03 |
| 1971 | 37 | #1,414 | 0.02 |
| 1970 | 52 | #1,157 | 0.03 |
| 1969 | 51 | #1,096 | 0.03 |
| 1968 | 63 | #919 | 0.04 |
| 1967 | 44 | #1,130 | 0.03 |
| 1966 | 50 | #1,042 | 0.03 |
| 1965 | 58 | #975 | 0.03 |
| 1964 | 63 | #965 | 0.03 |
| 1963 | 64 | #945 | 0.03 |
| 1962 | 66 | #937 | 0.03 |
| 1961 | 69 | #926 | 0.03 |
| 1960 | 70 | #909 | 0.03 |
| 1959 | 80 | #852 | 0.04 |
| 1958 | 95 | #765 | 0.04 |
| 1957 | 94 | #778 | 0.04 |
| 1956 | 100 | #735 | 0.05 |
| 1955 | 116 | #683 | 0.06 |
| 1954 | 109 | #692 | 0.05 |
| 1953 | 115 | #663 | 0.06 |
| 1952 | 112 | #656 | 0.06 |
| 1951 | 132 | #616 | 0.07 |
| 1950 | 118 | #640 | 0.07 |
| 1949 | 132 | #595 | 0.07 |
| 1948 | 128 | #596 | 0.07 |
| 1947 | 129 | #599 | 0.07 |
| 1946 | 125 | #575 | 0.08 |
| 1945 | 128 | #529 | 0.10 |
| 1944 | 144 | #507 | 0.11 |
| 1943 | 144 | #523 | 0.10 |
| 1942 | 151 | #499 | 0.11 |
| 1941 | 122 | #534 | 0.10 |
| 1940 | 143 | #482 | 0.12 |
| 1939 | 145 | #473 | 0.13 |
| 1938 | 150 | #474 | 0.14 |
| 1937 | 164 | #440 | 0.15 |
| 1936 | 158 | #449 | 0.15 |
| 1935 | 153 | #460 | 0.15 |
| 1934 | 193 | #397 | 0.19 |
| 1933 | 139 | #478 | 0.14 |
| 1932 | 169 | #432 | 0.16 |
| 1931 | 208 | #391 | 0.20 |
| 1930 | 210 | #400 | 0.19 |
| 1929 | 215 | #395 | 0.20 |
| 1928 | 249 | #371 | 0.22 |
| 1927 | 232 | #392 | 0.21 |
| 1926 | 276 | #349 | 0.25 |
| 1925 | 252 | #375 | 0.23 |
| 1924 | 257 | #377 | 0.23 |
| 1923 | 223 | #401 | 0.20 |
| 1922 | 268 | #366 | 0.25 |
| 1921 | 271 | #368 | 0.25 |
| 1920 | 249 | #378 | 0.23 |
| 1919 | 238 | #376 | 0.24 |
| 1918 | 271 | #353 | 0.27 |
| 1917 | 232 | #366 | 0.25 |
| 1916 | 225 | #363 | 0.25 |
| 1915 | 240 | #345 | 0.28 |
| 1914 | 169 | #364 | 0.26 |
| 1913 | 123 | #380 | 0.24 |
| 1912 | 92 | #403 | 0.21 |
| 1911 | 69 | #333 | 0.31 |
| 1910 | 39 | #446 | 0.20 |
| 1909 | 31 | #461 | 0.19 |
| 1908 | 38 | #382 | 0.25 |
| 1907 | 31 | #416 | 0.21 |
| 1906 | 29 | #410 | 0.22 |
| 1905 | 25 | #451 | 0.19 |
| 1904 | 18 | #537 | 0.14 |
| 1903 | 18 | #525 | 0.15 |
| 1902 | 17 | #534 | 0.14 |
| 1901 | 15 | #535 | 0.14 |
| 1900 | 24 | #476 | 0.16 |
| 1899 | 11 | #660 | 0.10 |
| 1898 | 15 | #571 | 0.12 |
| 1897 | 22 | #410 | 0.20 |
| 1896 | 18 | #499 | 0.15 |
| 1895 | 18 | #489 | 0.15 |
| 1894 | 28 | #348 | 0.24 |
| 1893 | 28 | #339 | 0.25 |
| 1892 | 15 | #545 | 0.12 |
| 1891 | 20 | #396 | 0.20 |
| 1890 | 16 | #488 | 0.14 |
| 1889 | 11 | #626 | 0.10 |
| 1888 | 17 | #483 | 0.14 |
| 1887 | 13 | #514 | 0.13 |
| 1886 | 12 | #575 | 0.11 |
| 1885 | 20 | #409 | 0.19 |
| 1884 | 16 | #487 | 0.14 |
| 1883 | 20 | #401 | 0.19 |
| 1882 | 25 | #364 | 0.22 |
| 1881 | 18 | #415 | 0.18 |
| 1880 | 18 | #424 | 0.16 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Wilford a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Wilford has been given almost only to boys: 5 girls in 143 years of records.
Girls and boys named Wilford: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Wilford, and how old are they?
2,850 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 27% of the 10,447 Americans ever recorded as Wilford. The median Wilford alive today is 68 years old; half are between 52 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 3,252 people named Wilford (13 women and girls, 3,239 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 3,524 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 513 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,220 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 597 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 279 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 137 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 91 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Wilford born?
The states with the most babies named Wilford are Texas, Missouri and Utah, with 24% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Missouri and Utah are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 798 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Missouri | 381 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Utah | 325 | not ranked | 5.1× |
| Louisiana | 321 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Ohio | 303 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Kentucky | 299 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| North Carolina | 280 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 253 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Alabama | 242 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 236 | not ranked | 0.4× |
Where Wilford is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Wilford is most over-represented in Utah: since 1910 it was given 5.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Wilford with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 42,013 babies since 1880, Wilford is the second most given (25% of them). In 2025 it was given to 9 of their 38 babies (24%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Wilford
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Wilford and names like it
- Compare Wilford and WilfredBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sWilford peaked in 1926.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Wilford since 1910.
- The top names of 1926The year the most babies were named Wilford.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Wilford alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with WMost given first.