Wilfred

Wilfred - A very unique male name

Wilfred appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #258. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Wilfred and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Wilfred? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Wilfred. The baby boy name Wilfred was given to 5 baby boys in 2022, ranking #4328 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 299,970 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Wilfred peaked in popularity 109 years ago in 1917 on position 161.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Wilfred, 1-5?

Wilfred is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Wilfred is currently topping the baby name charts in Texas at position #2,938 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,938.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Wilfred is where you live.

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Wilfred origin and meaning

Old English

From Old English Wilfrith — wil 'will, desire' + frith 'peace'

Wilfred is an Old English name, 'will' plus 'peace,' carried by an early English saint and revived by the Victorians. It first appears in the data in 1910, peaked in 1920 with 775 births, and totals 23,237 lifetime births. It was ranked #4143 in 2020 and has no row in the 2025 data.

Attested etymology

Wilfred is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Wilfred, pop culture references for the name Wilfred and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Wilfred

We've found the following names that sound similar to Wilfred, sorted by popularity.

Wilbur / Wilbert / Wilfredo / Wilburn / Wilford / Wilber / Wilfrid / Welford / Wilfrido / Wilberto /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Wilfred

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Wilfred a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Wilfred?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

WIL-fred · /ˈwɪlfrəd/

Around the world

• Wilfried (German) — German form of the same name

Spellings and nicknames

• Wilfrid — Older spelling variant

Nicknames: WilfFredFreddie

Famous bearers

• Wilfred Owen — English poet of the First World War, author of 'Dulce et Decorum Est' (1893–1918) Historical
• Wilfred Brimley — American actor known for Cocoon and his diabetes-awareness advertisements (1934–2020) Contemporary

Style

Classic

Why parents choose it

A gentle, bookish vintage name; its modern appeal is as an honour name, with Wilf and Freddie as softer short forms.

Worth knowing

• The Wilfred Owen association is entirely honourable but solemn — the First World War poet killed in 1918.