Wilce
A contracted form of the Germanic name Willecumm, meaning "welcome guest".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Wilce. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wilce today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilce births was 1921 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilce. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wilce. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1921
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1921 SSA rank
#4,958
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Wilce: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilce 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 Wilce during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wilce
The name Wilce is an uncommon given name of uncertain origin. It is believed to have originated in the English or Anglo-Saxon tradition, possibly as a variant or diminutive form of the name William. The name might also have roots in Old English or Germanic languages, where it could have been derived from words related to "will" or "desire."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wilce dates back to the late 12th century. In 1190, a man named Wilce de Winton was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire, England. This suggests that the name was in use, at least in certain regions of England, during the Middle Ages.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Wilce. One of the earliest was Wilce of Beccles, an English Franciscan friar and theologian who lived in the 13th century. He is known for his work "De Septem Sacramentis Ecclesiae" (On the Seven Sacraments of the Church), written around 1240.
In the 16th century, Wilce Butters was a prominent landowner and wool merchant in Somerset, England. Records from the time mention his involvement in local affairs and his influence in the region's wool trade.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Wilce Coburn was an American pioneer and frontiersman. Born in 1786 in Pennsylvania, he was among the early settlers in the Ohio Territory and is known for his role in the Battle of Fallen Timbers during the Northwest Indian War.
Another notable figure was Wilce Herbert Allen, a British engineer and inventor who lived from 1819 to 1892. He is credited with several innovations in the field of mechanical engineering, including improvements to steam engines and agricultural machinery.
In more recent times, Wilce Howard Graham was an American football coach and educator. Born in 1890, he served as the head coach at Ohio State University from 1920 to 1928, leading the team to several successful seasons and contributing to the growth of the program.
While not an exhaustive list, these examples illustrate the use of the name Wilce across different time periods and regions, as well as its presence among individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, merchants, pioneers, inventors, and coaches.
People
Wilce + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilce 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
Wilce: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilce?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilce 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 - US residents.
Is Wilce a common name?
We classify Wilce as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilce most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilce was 1921, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilce is about 0 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 Wilce in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wilce a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wilce 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 Wilce still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wilce 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 Wilce 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 Wilce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.