Boys' name · since 1880
Wilfred
29,417 babies named Wilfred in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #688 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,758 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,417
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
29,417 babies have been named Wilfred since 1880, making it today's #3758 boys' name.
Wilfred has 29,417 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3758 as of the latest data, more common than 73% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #688 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,758 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 29,417 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wilfred ranks #688 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,758 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 29,417 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #688 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,758 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 29,417
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Wilfred's 29,417 recorded births place it above 98.48% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Wilfred compares
29,417 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Wilfred's all-time total is 80x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wilfred | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 29,417 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 802 | 34 | 22,252 |
Wilfred's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Wilfred's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 24% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 76%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2012, with only 18 births recorded -- set against the 1920 peak of 802, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Wilfred popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 802
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Wilfred popularity over time - girls
103 total births recorded since 1910 (Wilfred as girls' name)
Wilfred by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (7,134 births, 24% of the file).
1920s was Wilfred's strongest decade.
7,134 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Wilfred births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 308
1880s
308 births
- 1890s 510
1890s
510 births
- 1900s 767
1900s
767 births
- 1910s
1910s
4,976 births
- 1920s
1920s
7,134 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,490 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,263 births
- 1950s 2,833
1950s
2,833 births
- 1960s 1,954
1960s
1,954 births
- 1970s 1,063
1970s
1,063 births
- 1980s 804
1980s
804 births
- 1990s 541
1990s
541 births
- 2000s 343
2000s
343 births
- 2010s 262
2010s
262 births
- 2020s 169
2020s
169 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 7,134 births (24% of all-time use).
How Wilfred 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 Wilfred's total volume
Wilfred by state
Where Wilfred concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 2,689 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Massachusetts | | 2,516 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 2,260 | 7.7% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 1,265 | 4.3% |
| #5 | California | | 993 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 963 | 3.3% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 904 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 902 | 3.1% |
2,689 of 29,417 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Wilfred appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wilfred? ▼
Where does Wilfred sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wilfred most popular? ▼
Where is Wilfred most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wilfred been used? ▼
What names are similar to Wilfred? ▼
What to do with Wilfred's data
- Wilfred's decade-level peak was the 1920s (7,134 total births); usage has since declined to 169 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Wilfreds (2,689 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wilfred
Nearby Names Like Wilfred
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wilfred
Compare Wilfred side by side: Wilfred vs William Wilfred vs Willie Wilfred vs Willard
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wilfred
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wilfred: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
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 Wilfred 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.