Wilmer
Feminine
Wilmer is given to both — 743 girls and 15,979 boys since 1880. See Wilmer as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Wilmer ends in two letters that English uses to mean somebody who does something. A baker bakes, a teacher teaches, and a Wilmer does nothing at all, because the ending in this name is not that ending.
How old is the name Wilmer?
Wilmer first appears in US birth records in 1900 — 125 years ago. The typical Wilmer alive today was born around 1926, making them about 99 years old. About 100 people named Wilmer are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Wilmer most popular?
Wilmer peaked in 1900, reaching #1319 nationally. See the whole 1900 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Wilmer
The English agent ending is one of the most productive pieces of the language: attach it to almost any verb and you get a person who does it, including verbs invented yesterday. That productivity means the eye reads any word ending in those letters as an agent noun by default, which is why Germanic names ending the same way look faintly like job titles. They are not. The ending in them is the worn-down remains of a second name element meaning famous, the same one in Elmer and Delmer, and it has nothing to do with doing anything. The resemblance is pure coincidence and it is strong enough that most readers never question it.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The Germanic elements behind it are usually read as will and fame, and that reading is reasonably secure. The record holds this spelling for both sexes without explaining it.
Pronouncing Wilmer
WIL-mur
Two syllables with the stress in front. Nothing in it invites hesitation.
Nicknames for Wilmer
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
- 1900
- Most girls named
- 191934 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1319reached in 1900
- Change vs 1957
- +20.0%6 in 1959, 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.
Wilmers among us
people named Wilmer 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
Wilmer 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
- Will comes off the front as a short form and needs no explaining anywhere.
- It is read correctly at first sight and never needs spelling out loud.
- It is recorded for boys and for girls, so it leaves a question open rather than closing it.
- In America it reads as belonging to a much older generation, which is either the appeal or the obstacle.
- This spelling goes mostly to boys but is recorded for girls too, so a form will occasionally guess wrong.
- The name's elements are reasonably clear but the reading is not certain, so that question has a soft answer.
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Wilmer
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Wilmers are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Wilmer are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Wilmer in 2025?
- Wilmer is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Wilmer with classmates?
- Wilmer 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 Wilmer? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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