Wilda
Feminine · “wild”
Wilda is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 12,759 girls against 15 boys since 1880.
Wilda is a short Germanic name read two ways — as the wild one, from a word that is genuinely the ancestor of English 'wild', or as the back of Wilhelmina.
How old is the name Wilda?
Wilda was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Wilda alive today was born around 1929, making them about 96 years old. About 3,400 people named Wilda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Wilda most popular?
Wilda peaked in 1926, reaching #326 nationally. See the whole 1926 chart.
Where it comes from
From wild to Wilda
The story of Wilda
Germanic naming used wild as an element, and English surnames like Wilde preserve it. Wilda appears in American records from the 1880s, strongest in areas of German settlement, alongside Hilda, Zelda and Alda, which share its shape. It peaked around 1918 and faded through the middle of the century.
Meaningscholars disagree
wild, untamed
The commonest reading takes it from the Germanic wild, 'untamed' — the direct ancestor of the English word. A second route reads it as a clipping of Wilhelmina, from willa, 'will', and helm, 'helmet'. Both are plausible for American bearers.
How the name formed
- wild
- Wilda
Related forms: Wilda · Wylda · Wilhelmina
Pronouncing Wilda
WIL-duh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Wilda and Wylda are said identically.
Nicknames for Wilda
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1927389 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #326reached in 1926
- Change vs 2001
- −16.7%5 in 2022, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Wilda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Wilda in German — same name
- Wylda in English — spelling variant
- Wilhelmina in German — related form
Wildas among us
people named Wilda are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Wilda sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The wild reading is concrete and the element is a genuine ancestor of the English word.
- Wilhelmina is available as a considerably grander formal option.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- The origin is genuinely split between two readings.
- Hilda and Zelda are close enough to cause confusion.
- It is strongly period-coded to the early twentieth century.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Wilda to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Wilda? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Wilda
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Wildas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,400 people named Wilda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Wilda in 2025?
- Wilda is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Wilda with classmates?
- Wilda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More W names
The most-given names starting with W, all years combined.
Wanda#5917 · Wendy#1341 · Willie#10107 · Wilma#3645 · Whitney#1043 · Willow#44 · Winifred#922 · Willa#422
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Wilda? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Wilda and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle