Wilson

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Wilson

Wilson Palacios

Honduran footballer

Choose Wilson and your child shares a first name with Wilson Palacios, a Honduran footballer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Wilson, like who?” Wilson Palacios's Wikipedia article is available in 41 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Wilson Palacios on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Reyrod19, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,218 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Wilson, 405 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Wilson would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryWilson has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Wilsons, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1918, when it ranked #122. Today it's #672, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📍Where it's lovedWilson is most popular in Mississippi, where it ranks #333, followed by Arkansas (#398) and Idaho (#435). It's in the top 1,000 in 27 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Wilson means “son of Will”. Our records link it to English and German roots.

About the name Wilson

Wilson is a boy name of English and German origin meaning “son of Will”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with W and ending in “-son”. US birth records list Wilson for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked #122 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #672, with 405 babies.

Origin:English namesGerman names