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
0%100%Median name50%87.5%
Wilmer vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Wilmer's 15,979 recorded births place it above 97.93% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

36 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1920)
443
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
0100200300400500 188018991918193719561975199420132025 94

Wilmer popularity over time - girls

743 total births recorded since 1900 (Wilmer as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 743 births
010203040 19001912191919261933194019471959 6

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

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,525 births (22% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -59, 3.7%-146, 3.4%-146, 3.3%-146, 1.8%-132, 1.7%-43, 18.7%-79, 4.2%-62, 3.5%-146, 1.9%-146, 4.7%-146, 3.4%-144, 3.1%-105, 5.3%-146, 3.6%-111, 9.3%Wilmer-146, 2.8%Wilmer
Wilmer vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Wilmer by state

Where Wilmer concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Wilmer
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%
Pennsylvania share of Wilmer's total US births 10.5%
Even split

1,683 of 15,979 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.

Wilmer appears in 36 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Wilmer?
Wilmer has been given to 15,979 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #938 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #1,730 of 13,930. 443 babies were born in 1920, its single highest year.
Where does Wilmer sit in the SSA name archive?
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. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Wilmer most popular?
Wilmer was most popular in the 1920s decade with 3,525 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Wilmer most popular?
The top states for the name Wilmer are Pennsylvania (1,683 births), Texas (964 births), Louisiana (689 births).
How long has the name Wilmer been used?
The SSA has tracked Wilmer since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Wilmer?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include William, Willie, Willard, Wilbur, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

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

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.

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.