Wilbor
Unisex Anglo-Saxon name meaning "resolute bear or bright wildcat".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Wilbor. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wilbor today is around 98 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilbor births was 1922 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilbor. 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 Wilbor is about 98 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wilbors were born before 1938.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wilbor. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1922
6 babies that year
Average age
98
years old
1942 SSA rank
#3,552
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Wilbor: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wilbor from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilbor 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 Wilbor 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 Wilbor
The name Wilbor is believed to have originated from the Old English language, derived from the combination of two words: "wil" meaning "will" or "desire," and "bor" meaning "warrior" or "bear." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals who were perceived as strong-willed or determined warriors.
During the Anglo-Saxon period in England, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th centuries, names like Wilbor were commonly used among the English population. The name's roots can be traced back to this era, when it was likely used as a given name for male children.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wilbor can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing the name Wilbor were present in England during the 11th century.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Wilbor the Monk was mentioned in the chronicles of the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St Edmunds. Wilbor the Monk was a scribe and scholar who contributed to the preservation of historical records and manuscripts during his lifetime.
Another historical figure with the name Wilbor was Wilbor of Tewkesbury, a 13th-century monk and chronicler who authored a detailed account of the Battle of Evesham in 1265, a significant conflict during the Second Barons' War in England.
In the 15th century, a man named Wilbor Cressingham was recorded as a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Norwich, England. His name appears in several legal documents and property records from that time period.
During the 16th century, a notable figure named Wilbor Holinshed lived in England and is best known for his contributions to the compilation of the historical work "Holinshed's Chronicles," a comprehensive account of British history which served as a source for many of William Shakespeare's plays.
While the name Wilbor may not have been as widely used in more recent centuries, it has left a lasting mark on historical records, particularly in England, where it originated and was most prevalent during the medieval and early modern periods.
People
Wilbor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilbor 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
Wilbor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilbor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilbor 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Wilbor a common name?
We classify Wilbor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilbor most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilbor was 1922, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilbor is about 98 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 Wilbor in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wilbor a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wilbor 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.
Is Wilbor still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wilbor 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 Wilbor 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 the name Wilbor?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Wilbor, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.