How Many People Are Named Wilbur?
An estimated 13,893 people in the United States have the first name Wilbur. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 69 years old, and Wilbur peaked in popularity in 1918 with 1,809 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Wilbur as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Wilbur paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Wilbur is overwhelmingly male, 290 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 69, Wilbur is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1967.
- Wilbur has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
13,893
About 1 in 24,671 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
69
years old
Peak Year
1918
1,809 births
Total Registered
57,170
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Wilbur
Wilbur is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 57,170 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Wilbur as a male name
Ranked #2,986 in 2024
42 male births in 2024
Peak: 1918 (1,800 births)
Wilbur as a female name
Ranked #7,185 in 1959
5 female births in 1959
Peak: 1919 (17 births)
Wilbur: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Wilbur span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 15,834 babies were registered. Wilbur has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Wilbur by Decade
How has Wilbur tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 914 | 914 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 1,142 | 1,142 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 1,839 | 1,839 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 12,475 | 12,411 | 64 | |
| 1920s | 15,834 | 15,713 | 121 | |
| 1930s | 9,109 | 9,044 | 65 | |
| 1940s | 5,985 | 5,962 | 23 | |
| 1950s | 4,150 | 4,133 | 17 | |
| 1960s | 2,571 | 2,571 | 0 | |
| 1970s | 1,274 | 1,274 | 0 | |
| 1980s | 783 | 783 | 0 | |
| 1990s | 433 | 433 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 259 | 259 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 251 | 251 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 151 | 151 | 0 | |
Wilbur by State
Birth registrations for Wilbur span all 48 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois. The lowest are in Hawaii, Delaware, New Hampshire. On average, about 1,027 Wilburs were registered per state.
Wilbur + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilbur as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Wilbur
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
Wilbur: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilbur?
We estimate approximately 13,893 people named Wilbur are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 24,671 Americans share this first name.
Is Wilbur a common name?
Wilbur is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.1% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 57,170 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Wilbur most popular?
Wilbur reached peak popularity in 1918, when 1,809 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Wilbur is approximately 69 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Wilbur a male name?
Wilbur is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Wilbur Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Wilbur Smith, Wilbur Johnson, Wilbur Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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