Wilfrid
Masculine · “will”
Wilfrid with an i is the older spelling and Wilfred with an e is the later one, and both are still in use. The man who made the name is one of the most argumentative figures in early English history: he appealed to Rome twice against his own church, won both times, and was imprisoned by his own king for it anyway.
How old is the name Wilfrid?
Wilfrid first appears in US birth records in 1887 — 138 years ago. The typical Wilfrid alive today was born around 1925, making them about 100 years old. About 200 people named Wilfrid are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Wilfrid most popular?
Wilfrid peaked in 1907, reaching #735 nationally. See the whole 1907 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Two Old English elements meaning will and peace to Wilfrid
The story of Wilfrid
He was a Northumbrian churchman with an unshakable conviction that he was right, which he frequently was, and no instinct whatever for making it easier for anybody. He argued for the Roman calculation of Easter and won; he was made a bishop and then found his diocese divided without his consent; he appealed to the pope, was upheld, came home with the ruling and was thrown into prison by the king for producing it. He did the same thing again years later, with the same result. He founded monasteries, converted the South Saxons, and spent decades in and out of exile. Bede admires him and is visibly relieved not to have had to work with him.
Meaning
will, peace
Two Old English elements, one meaning will or desire and one meaning peace, and the reading is settled. The vowel in the second element is written i in the older spelling and e in the later one, reflecting a genuine sound change rather than a decorative choice. Both spellings are historically defensible and the i is the one closer to the original.
How the name formed
- Two Old English elements meaning will and peace
- A seventh-century bishop who appealed to Rome twice
- Wilfrid and Wilfred as parallel English spellings
- In American use from the nineteenth century
Related forms: Wilfrid · Wilfried
Pronouncing Wilfrid
WIL-frid
Two syllables, stress on the first. The second vowel is reduced almost to nothing, which is why it can be written i or e without any audible difference, and why both spellings have survived side by side.
Nicknames for Wilfrid
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
- 1887
- Most boys named
- 192257 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #735reached in 1907
- Change vs 2008
- 0.0%5 in 2020, from 5
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.
Wilfrid in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Wilfrid in French — same name
- Wilfried in German — same name
Wilfrids among us
people named Wilfrid 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
Wilfrid 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
- It is a genuine Old English name with a documented meaning and a continuous record.
- Wil and Fred are two very different short forms and both stand alone.
- It carries a historical bearer who is genuinely interesting to read about.
- Wilfred is the commoner spelling in America and this one will be converted into it.
- It is strongly associated with an earlier generation, though it is returning in Britain.
- The two spellings are identical in speech, so the distinction is invisible in conversation.
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Wilfrid
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Wilfrids are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Wilfrid are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Wilfrid in 2025?
- Wilfrid is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Wilfrid with classmates?
- Wilfrid will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More W names
The most-given names starting with W, all years combined.
William#9 · Walter#251 · Willie#1315 · Wayne#652 · Wesley#52 · Wyatt#38 · Warren#240 · Wallace#960
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Wilfrid? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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