Boy · #4,309 in 2026

Wilkes

Name: Popularity of the name Wilkes in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Wilkes, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Current Rank

#4,309

Peak Rank

#3,175 (2018)

Total Babies

347

5-Yr Trend

+17%

1916

First Year

2026

Last Year

2018

Peak Year

#3175

Peak Rank

347

Total Count

Years Active

The Story of Wilkes

Wilkes first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1916, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2018: 30 births, good for #3,606 nationwide. About 42% of every Wilkes on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Wilkes ranks #4,309 for baby boys with 25 births, rising sharply (+17% over the past five years). All told, over 347 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Wilkes

Phonetically similar names — useful when Wilkes is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Wilks
Welks
Winks
Winx
Willis
Wicks
Wix
Wilk
Wilco
Wickes
Wilkie
Wilke

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilkes

What does the name Wilkes mean?

Wilkes is a boy's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1916. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades.

How popular is Wilkes in 2026?

In 2026, Wilkes ranks #4,309 among boys' names in the U.S., with 25 babies given the name that year.

When was Wilkes most popular?

Wilkes reached its peak popularity in 2018, ranking #3,175 that year with 30 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Wilkes most popular?

Wilkes has historically been most popular in Georgia, North Carolina. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Wilkes.

Is Wilkes a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Wilkes is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Wilkes?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Wilkes include Rolley, Tip, Edo. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Wilkes

Wilkes is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 347 births in the dataset. Wilkes's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #3,175. Use the chart and map above to compare Wilkes's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.