boy's name
Wilbert
WIL-burt
- Origin German
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 40,255
Wilbert means bright will, and it is one of a small set of names joining desire to brightness — the same beorht that ends Albert, Robert and Gilbert, on a first element meaning wanting something.
- Wilbert is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 1922, when 902 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 165,782 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Wilbert over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 256 |
| 1890s | 359 |
| 1900s | 722 |
| 1910s | 5,285 |
| 1920s | 8,170 |
| 1930s | 6,215 |
| 1940s | 5,823 |
| 1950s | 5,164 |
| 1960s | 3,191 |
| 1970s | 1,823 |
| 1980s | 1,280 |
| 1990s | 824 |
| 2000s | 610 |
| 2010s | 345 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 126 |
What Wilbert means
Wilbert means bright will, or famous desire. The Germanic joins a word for will to one meaning bright or renowned, so both halves concern reputation and intent.
Where Wilbert comes from
Wilbert is the Germanic Willaberht — wil, will or desire, joined to beraht, bright or famous. The wil is the same element in William and Wilfred; the beraht ends Albert, Robert, Gilbert and Norbert, and is cognate with the English bright. Saint Wilbert, an eighth-century Anglo-Saxon missionary in Frisia, carried it into Continental use. Wilbur, elsewhere on this site, is a separate English surname despite the resemblance.
Wilbert in use
Wilbert peaked in the United States in 1922, when 902 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 4918th in England and Wales on 4 births and 4990th in the United States on 20, across 40,255 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1880, and England and Wales ran its own peak of 9 births in 2022.
How popular is Wilbert?
In 2025, Wilbert was given to 20 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Wilbert is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Wilbert
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Wilbert also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Wilbert over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Wilbert
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Wilbert in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Wilbur
Sibling names for Wilbert
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Wilbert — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Wilbert
What does the name Wilbert mean?
Bright will — the Germanic wil, desire, joined to beraht, bright.
Is Wilbur the same name?
No — Wilbur is a separate English surname despite the resemblance.
Which names share the beraht?
Albert, Robert, Gilbert and Norbert, and it is cognate with the English bright.
How popular is Wilbert?
4990th in the United States, down from a 1922 peak of 902 births.
Is Wilbert a girl's or a boy's name?
Wilbert is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Wilbert?
Wilbert has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Wilbert?
Wilbert is usually shortened to Will.
Is Wilbert a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Wilbert currently ranks #3,645 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.