Wilder
Top 1000
About Wilder
Rugged, outdoorsy, and full of energy, Wilder entered the US Top 1000 back in 2015. Part bad boy, part Western, part preppy, and part nature-loving, Wilder is given to nearly 800 babies each year.
Once an off-beat, rarely used choice, Wilder began to climb the charts in 2007, after American actress Goldie Hawn became a grandmother to a Wilder. Similar in sound to Wiley and Wyatt and with the -er ending of Carter or Cooper, Wilder sounds bold but familiar, and fits in with the likes of Ledger, Forrest, Fox, and Maverick.
Until recently, Wilder was much more familiar as a surname, borne by such notables as authors Laura Ingalls and Thornton, composer Alec, director Billy, and actor Gene. Douglas Wilder was the first African American to be elected Governor of Virginia.
Wilder was one of the 10 fastest-rising boys' names back in 2016, though its climb up the charts has slowed in recent years.
As of October 2026, Wilder ranked #431 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #366 in 2021, Nameberry popularity #276.
Editor's take: The name Wilder is a boy's name of English origin meaning "wild, untamed, uncontrolled".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,317 | 134 | 69.8 |
| 2015 | #964 | 215 | 112.2 |
| 2016 | #726 | 338 | 178.1 |
| 2017 | #573 | 477 | 257.7 |
| 2018 | #527 | 540 | 297.3 |
| 2019 | #485 | 601 | 335 |
| 2020 | #426 | 695 | 402.6 |
| 2021 | #366 | 890 | 508.7 |
| 2022 | #374 | 866 | 496 |
| 2023 | #422 | 755 | 441.4 |
| 2024 | #392 | 830 | 481.7 |
| 2025 | #431 | 743 | 435 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Wilder.
Famous Wilders
- Wilder Graves Penfield
Canadian neurosurgeon
- Wilder Mountain Honey Hurley
daughter of singer,songwriter Michael Hurley
- Wilder Brooks Hudson (b. 2007)
son of actor Oliver Hudson; grandson of actress Goldie Hawn
- Wilder Davidson (b. 2011)
son of actors Mary Stuart Masterson and Jeremy Davidson; twin of sister Clio
- Wilder Towne Helberg (b. 2014)
son of actor Simon Helberg
- Wilder Frances Faison (b. 2015)
daughter of Donald Faison & CaCee Cobb
- Wilder Grace Leonard (b.2016)
daughter of Alison Pill and Joshua Leonard
- Almanzo Wilder (1857
1949), husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder and father of Rose Wilder Lane
Wilder in pop culture
- Wilder Lloyd
character in 2008 movie "The Accidental Husband"
- Wilder
character in anime series "Transformers: Super,God Masterforce"
- "Van Wilder
" film and its main character
- Jack Wilder
illusionist from the movie 'Now You See Me'
- Zelos Wilder
a redheaded ladies' man in video game Tales of Symphonia
- Wilder
A psionic character class in Dungeons and Dragons