Wilder

“Wild; untamed” — English/German origin

Boy's name · #431 in the US (2025) · 2020s

Wilder first appeared in 1914, vanished from the records entirely for 16 years, and since returning in 1969 has climbed back to #431. About 8,200 boys have carried it in all. Together with its spelling variant Wylder (#671), Wilder would rank around #293 with about 1,200 births last year — the newborns split about 65/35 between Wilder and Wylder.

Around the world: about 1 in 2,700 boys in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 4,700 boys in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 6,500 boys in Scotland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 45 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Wilders

Wilder Penfield — Canadian neurosurgeon, college football player and coach (1891–1976)
Wilder Cartagena — Peruvian footballer
Wilder Viera — Paraguayan footballer (born 2002)
Wilder Dwight Bancroft — American physical chemist (1867–1953)
Wilder Guisao — Colombian association football player

What Wilders become

Among 44 notable people named Wilder:

No single standout — notable Wilders spread across many fields.

Similar names: Oakley · Willem · Huxley · Ledger · Waylen · Kaiser

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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