Given name & surname
Wilfred
“one who wishes for peace”
Wilfred is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who wishes for peace.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who wishes for peace.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
Built from Old English wil (“will”) + friþ (“peace”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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
Wilfred through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 29,520
- 29,417 boys · 103 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 811 babies
- 2025
- 29
- #3,844 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 29 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,844 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 802 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,337 as a first name in 2020; 340 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Wilfred’s family of names
In English usage, Wilfred has a diminutive in Freddy. In English usage, Wilfred shares a linguistic root with the French form Wilfrid. In English usage, Wilfred has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Wilfredo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Wilfred has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Willdiminutive · English
- Freddydiminutive · English
- Wilfredovariant · Spanish, ceb
- Wildredvariant · English
- Willfredvariant · Norwegian
- Willfredovariant
- Wilfriedvariant · French, German
- Wilfridvariant · French
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Wilfred
- Wilfred OwenEnglish poet and soldier (1893-1918)
- Wilfred BoumaDutch footballer (born 1978)
- Wilfred BungeiKenyan middle-distance runnerborn 1980
- Wilfred ThesigerBritish explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003)
- Wilfred AgbonavbareNigerian footballer (1966-2015)
- Wilfred BionBritish psychoanalyst & psychiatrist (1897–1979)
- Wilfred JacksonAmerican film director (1906–1988)
- Wilfred Baddeleytennis player and sports administrator (1872–1929)
- Wilfred Lucasactor, Film director (1871–1940)
Characters named Wilfred: Wilfred Mott (Doctor Who character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Wilfred, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Winfred
“a friend of peace”
>99% boys
Willard
“a resolute and brave man”
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Wilbur
“one who is willful; a bright man”
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Wilford
“from the willow ford”
>99% boys
Weldon
“from the hill near a spring”
>99% boys
Walton
“from the walled town; from the stream town”
>99% boys
Eldred
“an old, wise advisor”
93% boys · 7% girls
Wyman
“a fair-haired warrior”
>99% boys