Wysdom
A feminine name of English origin meaning "wisdom, understanding, or discernment".
Name Census estimates that about 70 living Americans carry the first name Wysdom. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 68.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Wysdom today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wysdom births was 2023 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wysdom. 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 Wysdom. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
70
~ 1 in 4,896,491 Americans
Peak year
2023
18 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,698
Tracked since 2019
Gender
Gender distribution for Wysdom
Wysdom is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 70 total registrations, 22 (31.4%) were male and 48 (68.6%) were female.
Wysdom as a male name
- Ranked #9,698 in 2023
- 8 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2022 (8 births)
Wysdom as a female name
- Ranked #15,105 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (11 births)
Popularity
Wysdom: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wysdom from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 56 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
Wysdom 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 Wysdom 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 Wysdom
The name Wysdom has its roots in Old English, derived from the word "wisdom," which itself traces back to the Proto-Germanic "wisdoz." It first emerged in the late 10th century and was initially used as a descriptive term for someone who was considered wise or knowledgeable.
Over time, Wysdom transitioned into a given name, although its usage remained relatively rare throughout the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances of Wysdom as a first name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented a landowner named Wysdom in Gloucestershire, England.
The name gained some traction in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly among Puritan families who valued virtuous qualities such as wisdom and prudence. A notable figure from this period was Wysdom Walker (c. 1590-1655), an English Puritan and member of the Westminster Assembly, who played a role in the creation of the Westminster Confession of Faith.
In the 18th century, Wysdom became more widely adopted across various social classes, although it remained a relatively uncommon choice compared to more popular names of the time. One prominent individual with this name was Wysdom Doolittle (1715-1800), an American soldier and landowner who fought in the French and Indian War.
As the name entered the 19th century, it continued to hold symbolic significance, particularly among religious and academic communities. Wysdom Phillips (1811-1889), for example, was a British clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
The 20th century saw a resurgence of interest in unique and unconventional names, which may have contributed to a slight increase in the use of Wysdom. One notable example from this period is Wysdom Jackson (1926-1994), an American jazz saxophonist and composer who performed with luminaries such as Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk.
While Wysdom has never been a widely popular name, it has maintained a presence throughout history, often chosen for its symbolic association with intelligence, knowledge, and virtue. Its enduring legacy reflects the enduring value placed on wisdom across cultures and generations.
People
Wysdom + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wysdom 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
Wysdom: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wysdom?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 70 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wysdom 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 4,896,491 US residents.
Is Wysdom a common name?
We classify Wysdom as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 70 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wysdom most popular?
The single biggest year for Wysdom was 2023, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wysdom is about 5 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 Wysdom in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wysdom a female name?
Yes, 68.6% of people registered as Wysdom 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 Wysdom still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wysdom 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 Wysdom 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 Wysdom?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Wysdom, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.