Wilba
A feminine name of English origin meaning "resolute protection".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Wilba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wilba today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilba births was 1913 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilba. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Wilba is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wilbas were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wilba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1913
18 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1941 SSA rank
#4,406
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Wilba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wilba from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 64 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilba by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wilba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wilba
The name Wilba is believed to have its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, with roots dating back to the 5th century AD. It is thought to be a compound name, formed by combining the elements "wil" meaning "will" or "desire" and "ba" representing a diminutive or affectionate suffix. This suggests that Wilba may have been originally used as a pet name or nickname, expressing a sense of endearment or fondness.
In the early medieval period, the name Wilba was primarily found in regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where various forms of the name were recorded in historical documents and records. It is possible that the name was also used in neighboring areas influenced by Germanic culture and language.
While there are no known references to the name Wilba in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is believed to have been used primarily among common folk and may have been more prevalent in oral traditions rather than written records. The earliest documented instances of the name date back to the 8th century, where it appears in various legal documents and property records from the Frankish Empire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Wilba was a Frankish nobleman from the region of Austrasia, who lived in the late 8th century. Another notable figure was Wilba the Scribe, a monk from the Benedictine abbey of Reichenau in present-day Germany, who was active in the early 9th century and is credited with copying several important manuscripts.
In the 11th century, a Wilba von Staufen was a prominent landowner and vassal of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. A century later, a Wilba von Hohenzollern served as a knight in the court of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and participated in the Sixth Crusade to the Holy Land.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Wilba Albrecht von Sachsen-Coburg emerged as a prominent humanist scholar and patron of the arts in the 16th century. He was known for his vast collection of manuscripts and his patronage of artists and writers of the time.
While the name Wilba has become less common in modern times, it remains a part of the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Germanic regions, serving as a reminder of the rich tapestry of names and their historical significance.
People
Wilba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilba as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wilba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilba going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Wilba a common name?
We classify Wilba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilba most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilba was 1913, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilba is about 94 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wilba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wilba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wilba in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wilba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wilba in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wilba can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Wilba as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Wilba on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.