Wilfred
Wilfred is a masculine given name derived from Germanic roots meaning "will" and "peace". The name was popular in the United Kingdom in the early twentieth century. Wilfried and its English spelling, Wilfrid, are closely related to Wilfred, with the same roots.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Wilfred
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Wilfred is a masculine given name derived from Germanic roots meaning "will" and "peace". The name was popular in the United Kingdom in the early twentieth century. Wilfried and its English spelling, Wilfrid, are closely related to Wilfred, with the same roots.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Wilfred
Wilfred first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 21 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1920: 802 births, good for #176 nationwide. About 24% of every Wilfred on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Wilfred ranks #4,991 for baby boys with 20 births, falling sharply (-20%). All told, over 29K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Wilfred
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Wilfred. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Wilfred
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Wilfred the Hairy (died 897), a count in what is now Spain
- Wilfred Abrahams , Barbadian politician
- Wilfred Arthur (1919–2000), Australian fighter ace
- Wilfred Baddeley (1872–1929), British tennis player
- Wilfred Benítez (born 1958), Puerto Rican boxer
- Wilfred Gordon Bigelow (1913–2005), Canadian heart surgeon
- Wilfred Bion (1897–1979), British psychoanalyst
- Wilfred Bouma (born 1978), Dutch footballer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Wilfred
Phonetically similar names — useful when Wilfred is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Wilfred
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About the name Wilfred
Wilfred is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 29K births in the dataset. Wilfred's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #164. Use the chart and map above to compare Wilfred's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1920 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "W" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.