Wilson is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Wilson means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Wilson across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Wilson has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Wilson is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “son of William”. A patronymic surname derived from William.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 49,017 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 886 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 105 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 7 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 11 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Wilson per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1918 (1,381/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2017 (68/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2011 (8/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2004 (4/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2016 (4/yr).
Wilson has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1918, when it ranked #280 nationally (given to 1,381 babies that year).
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