Wilmeth
From an old German name meaning "willful protector."
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Wilmeth. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Wilmeth today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilmeth births was 1917 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilmeth. 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 Wilmeth. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1917
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1919 SSA rank
#4,800
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Wilmeth
Wilmeth is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 10 total registrations, 5 (50.0%) were male and 5 (50.0%) were female.
Wilmeth as a male name
- Ranked #4,800 in 1919
- 5 male births in 1919
- Peak: 1919 (5 births)
Wilmeth as a female name
- Ranked #5,299 in 1917
- 5 female births in 1917
- Peak: 1917 (5 births)
Popularity
Wilmeth: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilmeth 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 Wilmeth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 5 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wilmeth
The name Wilmeth is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wil" meaning "desire" or "will," and "mæð" meaning "meadow" or "field." It was initially used as a surname, but over time, it transitioned into being used as a given name as well.
In the Middle Ages, the name was primarily found in rural areas of England, where it was associated with farmers and landowners who owned or worked on meadows and fields. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Domesday Book, a detailed survey of landowners and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror.
While the name Wilmeth did not appear in any significant historical texts or religious scriptures, it was relatively common among the lower classes in medieval England. One of the earliest known individuals with the name was Wilmeth of Shrewsbury, a farmer who lived in the late 13th century and is mentioned in local records for his contribution to the local agricultural community.
During the Renaissance period, the name Wilmeth gained some popularity among the emerging middle class in England. One notable figure was Wilmeth Browne (1590-1645), a merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire, who was known for his philanthropic efforts and support of local education initiatives.
In the 18th century, the name Wilmeth was carried to the American colonies by English settlers. One prominent individual was Wilmeth Fairfax (1720-1788), a plantation owner and military officer in Virginia, who served in the French and Indian War and later became a prominent figure in the early years of the American Revolution.
Another notable bearer of the name was Wilmeth Carrington (1785-1863), an English novelist and poet who was part of the Romantic literary movement. Her works, though not widely known today, were popular in her time and celebrated for their vivid descriptions of nature and rural life.
Wilmeth also found its way into other parts of the English-speaking world, such as Australia and New Zealand, where it was adopted by early settlers and pioneers. One example is Wilmeth Macgregor (1830-1912), a Scottish-born Australian farmer and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of the wool industry in New South Wales.
Throughout its history, the name Wilmeth has remained a relatively uncommon choice, but it has maintained a strong connection to its roots in the English countryside and a association with agriculture, land ownership, and a love for nature.
People
Wilmeth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilmeth 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
Wilmeth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilmeth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilmeth 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 Wilmeth a common name?
We classify Wilmeth 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, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilmeth most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilmeth was 1917, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilmeth 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 Wilmeth in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wilmeth a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Wilmeth in the SSA data are female. 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 Wilmeth still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wilmeth 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 Wilmeth 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 common is the name Wilmeth?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.