Wes

Did you know?

A few things about Wes you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Wes

Wes Anderson

American filmmaker (born 1969)

Choose Wes and your child shares a first name with Wes Anderson, an American filmmaker. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Wes, like who?” Wes Anderson's Wikipedia article is available in 62 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Wes Anderson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,543 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Wes, 376 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Wes would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryWes has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Wess, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1963, when it reached #627.
• 📈Then vs nowWes is 17× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 75,758 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 4,543.
• 🚀TrendWes has climbed 271 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #715. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedWes is most popular in New Hampshire, where it ranks #206, followed by Montana (#227) and Utah (#288). It's in the top 1,000 in 26 states.
• 💬MeaningWes is an English form of Wesley, which means “western meadow”. Our records link it to English and German roots.

About the name Wes

Wes is a boy name of English and German origin meaning “western meadow”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with W and ending in “-wes”. US birth records list Wes for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 106 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1963, when it ranked #627 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #715, with 376 babies.

Origin:English namesGerman names