Search names
Wister
OriginEnglish, Germanic
Meaning"westerly; wit, knowing"
US RankUnranked
Below 5 births
About Wister
An unusual surname-style name, Wister may be a spin on Wester ("westerly, one who lives in the west") or a play on the archaic word "wist", relating to "wit", "knowledge", and "awareness". Borne by writer Owen Wister, known as the "father of Western fiction", having help make the cowboy into a hero figure, it is also the name of a mountain in Wyoming, named for the author.
Pronounced WIS-tur.
As of October 2026, Wister ranked #4547 for boys in US births in 1957 SSA, peaked at #2824 for boys in 1915.
Popularity & trends
US popularity — history
US rank, lower is more popular · SSA data 2014–2025
Actual · SSA
20142025
18802025
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
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