Wilfred
From the Old English Wilfrith, joining wil, will or desire, with frith, peace; a seventh-century Northumbrian bishop bore it.
Wilfred in 2025
Wilfred was given to 29 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 8,240th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 114,322 babies born.
The history of Wilfred
Wilfred reached its highest point in 1920, when 811 babies were given the name, ranking 405th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 390th, in 1917.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 29,520 babies have been named Wilfred. Half of them were born before 1931, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Wilfred by decade
| Decade | Babies named Wilfred | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 308 | 529 |
| 1890s | 510 | 557 |
| 1900s | 767 | 573 |
| 1910s | 5,010 | 390 |
| 1920s | 7,198 | 405 |
| 1930s | 4,490 | 474 |
| 1940s | 3,263 | 669 |
| 1950s | 2,838 | 847 |
| 1960s | 1,954 | 1,123 |
| 1970s | 1,063 | 1,570 |
| 1980s | 804 | 2,001 |
| 1990s | 541 | 2,883 |
| 2000s | 343 | 5,458 |
| 2010s | 262 | 7,598 |
| 2020s | 169 | 6,722 |
Where Wilfred is heading
Wilfred has risen 26% over the past decade, from 23 babies in 2015 to 29 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1920 peak — Wilfred is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Wilfred
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Wilfred.