Wildan
A masculine name of Indonesian origin, meaning "free" or "independent".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Wildan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wildan today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wildan births was 2018 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wildan. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Wildan with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wildan. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2018
6 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2018 SSA rank
#12,065
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Wildan: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wildan 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 Wildan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wildan
The name Wildan is believed to have its roots in the Arabic language, originating from the region that is now known as the Middle East. The name is derived from the Arabic word "walid," which means "son" or "born." It is possible that the name was initially given to children as a way of expressing the joy and gratitude of having a newborn son.
One of the earliest known references to the name Wildan can be found in ancient Arabic texts and manuscripts dating back to the 7th century CE. During this time, the Islamic Empire was at its peak, and the Arabic language and culture were spreading across vast regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe.
In the 9th century, a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian named Wildan al-Nahrawani lived in present-day Iraq. He was known for his contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and his extensive writings on the interpretation of the Quran. Al-Nahrawani's work had a significant influence on the development of Islamic thought and legal tradition.
Another notable figure with the name Wildan was Wildan al-Kindi, a 9th-century Arab philosopher and scientist who lived in present-day Iraq. Al-Kindi is widely regarded as one of the earliest and most influential philosophers in the Islamic Golden Age, and he made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, physics, and philosophy.
In the 12th century, a famous Sufi mystic and poet named Wildan al-Rumi was born in present-day Turkey. Al-Rumi's spiritual teachings and poetry had a profound impact on the development of Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam, and his works continue to be widely studied and celebrated to this day.
During the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over vast regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe from the 14th to the early 20th century, the name Wildan was relatively common among the ruling elite and aristocracy. One notable figure from this period was Wildan Pasha, a 16th-century Ottoman statesman and military commander who served as the governor of several provinces within the empire.
Throughout history, the name Wildan has been borne by numerous individuals from various backgrounds and professions, including scholars, poets, philosophers, and military leaders. While its precise origins may be shrouded in the mists of time, the name continues to resonate with its rich cultural heritage and historical significance in the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Wildan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wildan 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
Wildan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wildan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wildan 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Wildan a common name?
We classify Wildan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wildan most popular?
The single biggest year for Wildan was 2018, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wildan is about 10 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 Wildan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wildan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wildan 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 Wildan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wildan 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 Wildan 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 share the name Wildan?
Want to know how many Americans are named Wildan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.