boy's name
Wilson
WIL-sun
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 54,343
the United States
#672
2025 births
Wilson rose and fell with a presidency, and our data shows it plainly — 129 American births in 1911, then 496 in 1912, climbing to 1,381 by 1918 and back to 590 by 1920. It is the exact inverse of Reagan.
- Wilson is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 1,381 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 8,186 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Wilson 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 | 660 |
| 1890s | 597 |
| 1900s | 759 |
| 1910s | 6,859 |
| 1920s | 5,056 |
| 1930s | 3,696 |
| 1940s | 4,364 |
| 1950s | 3,383 |
| 1960s | 2,660 |
| 1970s | 2,318 |
| 1980s | 2,884 |
| 1990s | 4,190 |
| 2000s | 4,915 |
| 2010s | 4,265 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,411 |
What Wilson means
Wilson means son of Will, a short form of William. It is a patronymic surname, recording descent rather than describing the person who carries it.
Where Wilson comes from
Wilson is an English surname — son of Will, from William, the Germanic wil, will or desire, joined to helm, a helmet or protection. William became so common after the Conquest that its pet forms generated a family of surnames on their own: Wilson, Willis, Wilkins and Wilkinson all descend from the same first name. Willis, written up separately here, is the same construction with a different suffix.
Wilson in use
Wilson peaked in the United States in 1918, when 1,381 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. The shape around that peak is unusually clean: births ran 112 in 1910 and 129 in 1911, then jumped nearly fourfold to 496 in 1912, climbed through the decade, and fell back to 590 by 1920. Woodrow Wilson was elected in November 1912 and left office in March 1921. Reagan, elsewhere on this site, does the opposite — it halves while its figure is in office and peaks decades later. It now ranks 672nd in the United States on 405 births, 694th in Scotland on 4, 1763rd in England and Wales on 15 and 2079th in France on 15, across 54,343 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Wilson?
In 2025, Wilson was given to 405 babies in the United States, ranking #672 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Wilson 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 Wilson
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Wilson also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Wilson over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Wilson
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.
Wilson 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.
Sibling names for Wilson
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Wilson — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Wilson
What does the name Wilson mean?
Son of Will — Will being the short form of William.
Did the president affect the name?
Our data shows births jumping from 129 in 1911 to 496 in 1912, the year he was elected, then receding after his term.
How is that different from Reagan?
Reagan halved while its figure was in office and peaked decades later. Wilson did the reverse.
Is Willis related?
Yes — the same construction on the same first name, with a different suffix.
How popular is the name Wilson?
In 2025, Wilson was given to 405 babies in the United States, ranking #672 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Wilson a girl's or a boy's name?
Wilson is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Wilson?
Wilson has 2 syllables.
When was Wilson most popular?
Wilson peaked in 1918, when 1,381 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Wilson?
Wilson is usually shortened to Will.
Is Wilson a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Wilson currently ranks #672 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.