Willburn
A masculine given name derived from the words "will" and "burn", possibly suggesting determination or passion.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Willburn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Willburn today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Willburn births was 1925 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Willburn. 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 Willburn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1925
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#4,183
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Willburn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Willburn from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, 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
Willburn 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 Willburn 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 Willburn
The given name Willburn has its origins in the Old English language, stemming from the combination of the words "will" and "burn." The name first emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD. It was initially a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook.
In the early days, the name was often spelled as Wilburne or Willeburn, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of the time. The "burn" element in the name is derived from the Old English word "burna," meaning a small stream or brook, while "will" could either signify a person's strong determination or be a shortened form of the name William.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Willburn can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as a place name in Derbyshire, England. This historical record provides evidence of the name's usage during the Norman Conquest of England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Willburn. One of the earliest examples is Willburn Spelman (1595-1668), an English antiquary and historian who made significant contributions to the study of Anglo-Saxon laws and antiquities.
Another historical figure with this name was Willburn Poole (1710-1789), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Foundling Hospital and the Charing Cross Hospital.
In the realm of literature, Willburn Loomis (1822-1898) was an American poet and writer who published collections of poetry and essays during the 19th century.
Moving to more recent times, Willburn H. Weddell (1887-1961) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Representative from Virginia from 1933 to 1949.
Lastly, Willburn L. Vaughan (1918-2002) was an American educator and administrator who served as the president of Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) from 1968 to 1976.
While the name Willburn is not as common today as it once was, its historical roots and the contributions of those who bore it have left an indelible mark on various fields, including literature, architecture, politics, and education.
People
Willburn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Willburn 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
Willburn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Willburn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Willburn 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 Willburn a common name?
We classify Willburn 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, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Willburn most popular?
The single biggest year for Willburn was 1925, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Willburn 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 Willburn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Willburn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Willburn 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 Willburn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Willburn 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 Willburn 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 Americans are named Willburn?
Find out how many Americans are named Willburn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.