Wilder: Baby Name of the Day

The baby name Wilder straddles the line between buttoned-up and, well … wild.

Thanks to Miranda for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

SURNAME NAME

There’s more than one way to explain Wilder.

It could be a surname given to someone who lived on the fringes, near uncultivated land – the wild.

There’s also an Old English word for an animal trap – wil – that might have inspired the surname.

Maybe it was given to someone with a daring, unpredictable character – a wild man. Or maybe the person was of moderate disposition, but was a foreigner – a stranger to the town, and thus earned the nickname.

CREATIVE POWERHOUSE

When we think of Wilders, they’re a powerfully creative bunch.

There’s Thornton Wilder, the winner of three Pulitzer Prizes for his plays, as well as a National Book Award.

Laura Ingalls Wilder might be the best known, thanks to her Little House on the Prairie books and the successful television adaptation.

There’s also filmmaker Billy Wilder, one of the mainstays of Hollywood’s Golden Age. He was the first person to win the producer, director, and screenwriter Oscars for a single film. (1960’s The Apartment, as it happens.)

Even if you’re not a movie buff, you probably recognize his titles: Some Like it Hot; Sabrina; The Seven Year Itch.

Actor Gene Wilder was born Jerome Silberman and has played many an enduring role, including Willy Wonka in the 1971 adaptation of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Back in 2002, a young Ryan Reynolds got his start starring in National Lampoons’ Van Wilder, about a perpetual college student who eventually does the right thing. Mostly.

PREPPY HELLRAISER

Buttoned-up surname names dot the current US Top 100. Once bestowed by families to preserve a mother’s maiden name, these names scream Southern and genteel, or preppy New Englander.

Some of that cachet decreased as the names became more popular. Today parents choosing Carter, Parker, Bennett, and Brooks are likely to be choosing stylish names for their sons, not handing down a tradition. Some names in this category, like Tyler, have already peaked and are trending downwards now.

Wilder has a split personality.

Along with Briggs and Thatcher, Wilder is the heir to Carter and company. It feels like the kind of name you could find in the graduating class of Phillips Exeter or Dalton.

And yet Wilder is undeniably wild, a hellraiser name for a kid who gets called to the principal’s office. Or maybe one who takes up BMX bike racing or competes in the X Games.

It’s a great compromise name when one parent is thinking Ryder and the other favors James.

Wilder could short to Wiley or Wil, both names that soften the name’s image.

BY the NUMBERS

Over the last few years, the baby name Wilder has transitioned from out-there possibility to established favorite.

So how popular is the baby name Wilder?

Back in 2013, an early version of this post reported that 119 boys were given the name – a new high. As of 2023, Wilder was given to 752 boys, translating to #421 on the US popularity charts.

In fact, Wilder has decreased in use over the last two years. It peaked at #367 in 2021.

That doesn’t mean Wilder’s time in the sun is over. Instead, it’s simply gone from bold and surprising to another popular option.

There’s a boldness to Wilder, a creative and high-energy spirit. And yet it’s traditional, too, making this a great name for parents balancing those qualities in their son’s name – it’s more than William, less than Danger, a wearable, oh-so-current choice for a son.

What do you think of the baby name Wilder?

First published on March 18, 2015, this post was revised on June 5, 2024.