How popular is Wilfred?

[Elbi]

I've been focusing on girls' names as I find them easier but if DC1 turns out to be a boy we're a bit stumped! Wilfred is tentatively on the list but worried it's having a spike in popularity... How many do you know?

[Soyamilkisniceintea]

I don't know any, but I love it :)

[mininionsteve]

I love it. My boy is a Wilfred but annoyingly there is another one in one of his baby groups. It's not in the top 100 but is clearly on the rise. When he was born the midwife said there had been another one that week. I'm hoping that was the boy at baby group!

[AceRag]

It definitely is on the rise and will probably be in the top 100 this year or the next. But it's still well out of the top 10 or 20, which means it's relatively uncommon anyway.

[Smellybluecheese]

I know two, a 2 year old at my daughter's nursery and one of my uni friends has a 1 year old Wilfred.

[clevername]

It's top of my boy list for my imminent 2nd... I totally love it! But I have similar concerns to you. I haven't ever met one but I'm really worried it's going to be the new Alfie (I'm a secondary school teacher and there are hundreds of them... And I can't help thinking that their parents all thought 'Ooh, what a lovely unusual name. I bet there won't be many of them about'!). It is mentioned quite a lot on these boards...

Mind you, I'm trying to force myself to not care too much. I'm a serial over-thinker about this sort of stuff and naming babies is such a minefield!

Sorry... That was totally unhelpful!

[LockedOutOfMN]

I love that name. We live abroad but know two baby Wilfreds in the UK.

[Elbi]

Clevername we sound very similar!

Thanks for help so far everyone.

[skyzumarubble]

I know three baby Wilfs which I assume is short for Wilfred? It's cute.

[Sophronia]

I only know one, aged 26!

[Elbi]

Just checked the darkgreener graph for Wilfred... names.darkgreener.com/#wilfred

[SumAndSubstance]

I know a 1 year old Wilfred.

[Mrsknackered]

My dad's youngest brother is Wilfred but he's Will and I know 2 little Wilf's. I don't think it's too popular, and I love it!

[OrlandoTheCat]

I know 2. One is 2yrs old and the other a few weeks old

[whifflesqueak]

I have a 3year old Wilfred and know of two more, one also age 3 and one who is 7.

we seen to meet little Wilfred's quite often at the park and such but it doesn't bother us.

[Jooni]

The name we've chosen for imminent DS has a similar shape to Wilfred on that graph. Like Wilfred, the numbers still aren't too high but the trajectory is definitely heading up!

I can't pretend it doesn't worry me at all but I've had well over 9 months to mull over whether potential future popularity is enough to put me off my long-time favourite name and decided that it isn't. I'll definitely be a bit disappointed if the name becomes the "new Alfie" in the future but I love the name for so many reasons besides its current unusualness that I know I won't regret using it. It already feels like DS.

If you love Wilfred, use it. There is such a wide range of names being used now, and so many more kids with unique or nearly unique names, that actually even "popular" names aren't that common and are unlikely to repeat more than a few times in a whole school. Plus, you can't predict which random names will suddenly be propelled into the spotlight by celeb culture/TV/film/fiction.

FWIW, I like Wilfred a lot and don't know any.

[mum2be2boys]

I like the name, as well as the nicknames Will and Wilf.

I know 3 aged between 8 weeks and 3 years.

[sonlypuppyfat]

Wilf how on earth can Wilf be popular, perhaps it's my age. I really don't get the attraction of old man names

[buttercup54321]

I know one aged 11. Great name.

[Rockaby]

I know two. One is 4/5yo, the other is 6mo. I love it!

[Joeybee]

It's not too popular, but getting more popular now. It's one of those old man names thats coming back to the fore again. it probably will get popular, but I don't think it's going to end up a top 10, or even top 20 name.
I know a little Wilfred, he gets called Wilf and I think it's a gorgeous name. Thing with Wilfred is it's a bit polarising. I think you'd have to prepare yourself for some criticism of the name.

[Scrumpernickel]

I think it's a truly awful name. It sounds so wet and feeble.

Sorry Wilfreds!

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

Our neighbour has a 2 year old Wilf, not sure if it's short for Wilfred or just Wilf. I know of another one - work colleague's son, also 2. I don't know of any older ones.

[KoalaDownUnder]

I think it's a truly awful name. It sounds so wet and feeble.

Yeah, sorry - I do too!

I get that the whole Albie/Alfie/Freddie thing is back in, but Wilfred is a step too far IMO.

[mininionsteve]

The people who hate the name Wilfred tend to call my boy Wilf. It means desires peace which is a nice sentiment to be attached too.

[clevername]

I had no idea that's what it meant! So Wilfred Owen, one of our most famous war poets, who told the truth about how awful WW1 was (and tragically died just before the end) had a name meaning 'Desires Peace'?! Love it...