Given name
Wes
“from the western meadow”·“from the western town”
In English use, Wes is a diminutive of Wesley. One English interpretation is “from the western meadow.” In English use, Wes is a diminutive of Weston. One English interpretation is “from the western town.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Wes is a diminutive of Wesley. One English interpretation is “from the western meadow.” In English use, Wes is a diminutive of Weston. One English interpretation is “from the western town.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Wes is a diminutive of Wesley. An origin associated with Wesley is English.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Wes is a diminutive of Wesley. In English usage, Wes is a diminutive of Weston.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Wes through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,786
- 6,786 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 376 babies
- 2025
- 376
- #716 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +68%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 376 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 716 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 67.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (42). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,923 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Wes’s family of names
In English usage, Wes is a diminutive of Wesley. Wes has a surname derivative in Wesson. Wes is a short form of Wesley.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Wes
- Wes CravenAmerican filmmaker (1939–2015)
- Wes AndersonAmerican filmmaker (born 1969)
- Wes BrownEnglish association football playerborn 1979
- Wes StudiAmerican actorborn 1947
- Wes MorganJamaican association football player (born 1984)
- Wes HoolahanIrish association football playerborn 1982
- Wes BentleyAmerican actorborn 1978
- Wes BorlandAmerican musicianborn 1975
- Wes UnseldAmerican basketball player and coach (1946–2020)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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If you love Wes, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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