Boys' name · since 1880
Wilmer
15,979 babies named Wilmer 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.
- #938 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,730 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,979
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
15,979 babies have been named Wilmer since 1880, making it today's #1730 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Wilmer recorded 15,979 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #1730 nationally today, ahead of 88% 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.
- #938 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,730 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 15,979 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Wilmer ranks #938 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,730 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 15,979 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #938 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,730 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,979
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Wilmer's 15,979 recorded births place it above 97.93% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
36 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Wilmer compares
15,979 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
Wilmer's all-time total is 43x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Wilmer | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,979 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 443 | 34 | 22,252 |
Wilmer's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Wilmer splits its recorded history at 1953: 34% of all births land in the more recent half, 66% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (11 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 443 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Wilmer popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 443
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Currently ranks #1730 among boys.
15,979 total births across 146 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1920 with 443 births in a single year.
Wilmer popularity over time - girls
743 total births recorded since 1900 (Wilmer as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Wilmer accounts for 4% of total recorded use across both genders.
Wilmer by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (3,525 births, 22% of the file).
1920s was Wilmer's strongest decade.
3,525 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Wilmer births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 163
1880s
163 births
- 1890s 218
1890s
218 births
- 1900s 365
1900s
365 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,434 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,525 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,073 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,454 births
- 1950s 912
1950s
912 births
- 1960s 601
1960s
601 births
- 1970s 365
1970s
365 births
- 1980s 407
1980s
407 births
- 1990s 636
1990s
636 births
- 2000s 1,241
2000s
1,241 births
- 2010s 997
2010s
997 births
- 2020s 588
2020s
588 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,525 births (22% of all-time use).
Wilmer decade highlights
- Peak decade 3,525 births
- Runner-up 2,434 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
How Wilmer 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 Wilmer's total volume
Wilmer by state
Where Wilmer concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 1,683 | 10.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 964 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 689 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Virginia | | 672 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 626 | 3.9% |
| #6 | California | | 626 | 3.9% |
| #7 | New York | | 571 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Florida | | 480 | 3.0% |
1,683 of 15,979 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- Pennsylvania 10.5% of nationwide
- Texas 6.0% of nationwide
- Louisiana 4.3% of nationwide
- Virginia 4.2% of nationwide
- Alabama 3.9% of nationwide
Recorded in 36 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
Pennsylvania accounts for 10.5% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Wilmer appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Wilmer? ▼
Where does Wilmer sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Wilmer most popular? ▼
Where is Wilmer most popular? ▼
How long has the name Wilmer been used? ▼
What names are similar to Wilmer? ▼
What to do with Wilmer's data
- Wilmer's decade-level peak was the 1920s (3,525 total births); usage has since declined to 588 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Wilmers (1,683 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Wilmer
Nearby Names Like Wilmer
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Wilmer
Compare Wilmer side by side: Wilmer vs William Wilmer vs Willie Wilmer vs Willard
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Wilmer
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Wilmer: 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 Wilmer 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.
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