Wilbert
Shining bravely, of Germanic origin.
Name Census estimates that about 15,991 living Americans carry the first name Wilbert. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wilbert today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilbert births was 1922 (902 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilbert. 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
- • Although Wilbert is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 178 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
16K
~ 1 in 21,434 Americans
Peak year
1922
902 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,207
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Wilbert
Out of the 40,173 babies given the name Wilbert since 1880, 99.6% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Wilbert as a male name
- Ranked #5,207 in 2024
- 19 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1922 (902 births)
Wilbert as a female name
- Ranked #8,747 in 1974
- 6 female births in 1974
- Peak: 1927 (13 births)
Popularity
Wilbert: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wilbert from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 8,170 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilbert 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 Wilbert during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wilberts live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas recorded the most babies named Wilbert, while Maine, Delaware, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 854 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wilbert
The given name Wilbert has its origins in the Germanic languages, where it is a compound name derived from the elements "wil" meaning "will" or "desire," and "berht" meaning "bright" or "shining." This combination results in a name that roughly translates to "brilliant will" or "shining desire." The name's roots can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 5th to 8th centuries AD, when it first emerged among various Germanic tribes across central and western Europe.
While Wilbert does not appear to have any specific historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it was likely used as a personal name among the Germanic peoples during the early Middle Ages. The earliest recorded examples of the name date back to the 9th and 10th centuries, where it can be found in various medieval records and documents from regions such as modern-day Germany, France, and the Low Countries.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Wilbert. One of the earliest recorded was Wilbert the Fowler (c. 870-915), a Duke of Saxony who played a crucial role in the establishment of the medieval German kingdom. Another significant figure was Wilbert the Venerable (c. 1010-1079), a Benedictine monk and scholar who served as the Abbot of Gembloux in present-day Belgium.
During the High Middle Ages, Wilbert was a relatively common name among the nobility and clergy in various parts of Europe. One notable bearer was Wilbert of Oudenaarde (c. 1090-1155), a Flemish nobleman and crusader who participated in the Second Crusade. Another was Wilbert of Cologne (c. 1150-1220), a German scholastic philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Paris.
In the modern era, one of the most famous individuals named Wilbert was Wilbert Harrison (1929-1994), an American rhythm and blues singer best known for his hit song "Kansas City." Additionally, Wilbert Montgomery (born 1954) was a notable American football player who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1980.
People
Wilbert + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilbert 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
Wilbert: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilbert?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15,991 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilbert 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 21,434 US residents.
Is Wilbert a common name?
We classify Wilbert as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 40,173 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilbert most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilbert was 1922, when 902 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilbert is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wilbert a male name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Wilbert in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.