US rank #644 Boys' name Peak 1918 48,403 births

Wilson — #644 US boys' name

48,403 babies named Wilson in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s6601890s5971900s7591910s68351920s50221930s36961940s43591950s33831960s26611970s23091980s28621990s41442000s48842010s42382020s1994
#644
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 95% of names given to boys today.

1910s
Peak decade

14% of everyone ever named Wilson was born in this single decade.

1918
Single peak year

1,381 babies were named Wilson in 1918 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Wilson

The Social Security Administration has registered 48,403 babies named Wilson between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Wilson currently holds the #644 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1918, when 1,381 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Wilson performed strongest in the 1910s, accumulating 6,835 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Wilson shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 4,326 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Texas. In total, SSA state-level files list Wilson in 49 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Wilson in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 48,403 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Wilson at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

48,403

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1918

1,381 births that year

Strongest decade: 1910s

Current rank

#644

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Wilson popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1918)
1,381
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 72

Wilson popularity over time — girls

210 total births recorded since 1913 (Wilson as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 210 births
4681012 20212014200119941983194419201913 6

Wilson by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1910s
Peak decade
1910s
6,835 births that decade — 14% of Wilson's all-time total
1880s6601890s5971900s7591910s68351920s50221930s36961940s43591950s33831960s26611970s23091980s28621990s41442000s48842010s42382020s1994

Wilson by state

Where Wilson concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Wilson
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
4,326 8.9%
#2 California
3,136 6.5%
#3 Texas
2,820 5.8%
#4 Louisiana
2,585 5.3%
#5 North Carolina
2,274 4.7%
#6 Pennsylvania
2,236 4.6%
#7 Virginia
2,025 4.2%
#8 Georgia
1,915 4.0%
New York share of Wilson's total US births 8.9%
Even split

4,326 of 48,403 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.

Wilson appears in 49 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Wilson?
48,403 babies have been named Wilson since 1880. It currently ranks #644 among boys. The peak year was 1918 with 1,381 births.
When was Wilson most popular?
Wilson was most popular in the 1910s decade with 6,835 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Wilson most popular?
The top states for the name Wilson are New York (4,326 births), California (3,136 births), Texas (2,820 births).
How long has the name Wilson been used?
Wilson has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Wilson?
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.

Keep exploring Wilson

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.