Wilsey
A diminutive form of William, meaning "resolute protector" or "will helmet".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Wilsey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wilsey today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilsey births was 1947 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilsey. 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 Wilsey is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wilseys were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wilsey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1947
5 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1947 SSA rank
#4,258
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Wilsey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilsey 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 Wilsey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Wilsey
The name Wilsey is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "wil" meaning "will" or "desire," and "ey" meaning "island" or "river island." It is believed to have originated in the 9th or 10th century as a surname for someone who lived on or near a river island.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wilsey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Several individuals with the surname Wilsey were listed as landowners in various counties.
In the 13th century, a monk named Wilsey is mentioned in the chronicles of the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England. He is noted for his contributions to the abbey's library and his scholarly writings.
During the 16th century, a notable figure named Wilsey Browne (1535-1603) was a prominent merchant and philanthropist in the city of London. He is remembered for his charitable contributions to the establishment of schools and almshouses for the poor.
In the 17th century, Wilsey Palmer (1617-1678) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and religious controversies of his time.
Another significant figure with the name Wilsey was Sir Wilsey Stanton (1744-1827), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He is renowned for his role in several major naval battles and his contributions to naval strategy.
It is worth noting that while the name Wilsey has its roots in England, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in countries with historical ties to Britain, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
People
Wilsey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilsey 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
Wilsey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilsey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilsey 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 Wilsey a common name?
We classify Wilsey 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, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilsey most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilsey was 1947, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilsey is about 79 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 Wilsey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wilsey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wilsey 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 Wilsey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wilsey 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 Wilsey 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 Wilsey?
Want to know how many people share the name Wilsey? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.