Wilder
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
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.
Wilder for boys#431 US
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.
Wilder for girls#3572 US
The name Wilder is still used more than 90 percent of the time for boys, but it's being used quietly for girls too. with 50 receiving the name in a recent year. Along with the rest of the Wild and Wiley family, it's one of the hottest baby names starting with W. Certainly giving your child of either gender such a wilder name is setting them up for a certain kind of character and future.
Pronounced WYL-der.
As of October 2026, Wilder ranked #431 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #366 in 2021, Nameberry popularity #353.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,317 | 134 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #964 | 215 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #726 | 338 | #3,988 | 38 |
| 2017 | #573 | 477 | #4,377 | 33 |
| 2018 | #527 | 540 | #3,104 | 53 |
| 2019 | #485 | 601 | #3,384 | 47 |
| 2020 | #426 | 695 | #2,436 | 72 |
| 2021 | #366 | 890 | #2,150 | 88 |
| 2022 | #374 | 866 | #2,155 | 89 |
| 2023 | #422 | 755 | #3,217 | 51 |
| 2024 | #392 | 830 | #3,259 | 49 |
| 2025 | #431 | 743 | #3,572 | 43 |
World rankings
Wilder for boys
Similar names
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Wilder on lists
Famous Wilders
- Wilder Graves PenfieldBoy
Canadian neurosurgeon
- Wilder Mountain Honey HurleyBoth
daughter of singer,songwriter Michael Hurley
- Wilder Brooks Hudson (b. 2007)Boy
son of actor Oliver Hudson; grandson of actress Goldie Hawn
- Wilder Davidson (b. 2011)Boy
son of actors Mary Stuart Masterson and Jeremy Davidson; twin of sister Clio
- Wilder Towne Helberg (b. 2014)Boy
son of actor Simon Helberg
- Wilder Frances Faison (b. 2015)Boy
daughter of Donald Faison & CaCee Cobb
- Wilder Grace Leonard (b.2016)Boy
daughter of Alison Pill and Joshua Leonard
- Almanzo Wilder (1857Boy
1949), husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder and father of Rose Wilder Lane
Wilder in pop culture
- Wilder LloydBoy
character in 2008 movie "The Accidental Husband"
- WilderBoy
character in anime series "Transformers: Super,God Masterforce"
- "Van WilderBoy
" film and its main character
- Jack WilderBoy
illusionist from the movie 'Now You See Me'
- Zelos WilderBoy
a redheaded ladies' man in video game Tales of Symphonia
- WilderBoy
A psionic character class in Dungeons and Dragons