Wheeler
A gender-neutral English name derived from the occupational term for a wheelwright.
Name Census estimates that about 915 living Americans carry the first name Wheeler. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wheeler today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wheeler births was 2024 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wheeler. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
915
~ 1 in 374,595 Americans
Peak year
2024
45 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,862
Tracked since 1880
Census
Wheeler in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 830 people with the first name Wheeler, which placed it at #14,239 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,239
National first-name rank
People counted
830
830 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wheeler
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wheeler is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Wheeler described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Wheeler at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.7% · 603
- Black or African American18.1% · 150
- Two or more races4.5% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Wheeler
Out of the 1,888 babies given the name Wheeler since 1880, 99.7% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Wheeler as a male name
- Ranked #2,862 in 2024
- 45 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (45 births)
Wheeler as a female name
- Ranked #5,563 in 1918
- 5 female births in 1918
- Peak: 1918 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wheeler leans strongly male. 771 people counted with this name were male (93.2%), compared with 56 female bearers (6.8%).
Popularity
Wheeler: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wheeler from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 287 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Wheeler remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wheeler by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wheeler during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wheelers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Alabama, North Carolina, Texas recorded the most babies named Wheeler, while Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wheeler
The name Wheeler has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the word "hwēol," meaning "wheel." This name emerged during the Middle Ages, likely between the 5th and 11th centuries CE, when the Anglo-Saxon settlers inhabited the British Isles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wheeler can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property values commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. In this document, there are references to individuals with the surname Wheeler, indicating that the name was already in use during the Norman period.
Throughout the medieval era, the name Wheeler was often associated with skilled craftsmen who specialized in the production or repair of wheels, particularly for carriages, wagons, and other wheeled vehicles. This occupation was essential for transportation and trade, lending the name a certain prestige and recognition within various communities.
In the 16th century, during the Renaissance period, the name Wheeler gained further prominence. One notable figure was Sir Francis Wheeler (1567-1625), an English diplomat and politician who served as Secretary of State under King James I. His contributions to the English court and diplomatic affairs helped elevate the status of the name.
Another historically significant individual bearing the name Wheeler was Joseph Wheeler (1836-1906), a renowned American military officer who served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He later became a prominent figure in the Spanish-American War, earning the nickname "Fighting Joe Wheeler" for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the realm of literature, the name Wheeler is associated with the American author Candace Wheeler (1827-1923), who played a vital role in the Arts and Crafts movement. Her works, including textile designs and writings on decorative arts, left a lasting impact on the artistic and cultural landscape of her time.
Moving into the 20th century, one cannot overlook the contributions of Burton K. Wheeler (1882-1975), a influential United States Senator from Montana. Known for his progressive policies and unwavering stance against corporate monopolies, he championed various legislative reforms during his tenure in the Senate.
These are just a few notable examples of individuals who have carried the name Wheeler throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of the name's legacy.
People
Wheeler + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wheeler as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wheeler: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wheeler?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 915 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wheeler going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 374,595 US residents.
Is Wheeler a common name?
We classify Wheeler as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,888 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wheeler most popular?
The single biggest year for Wheeler was 2024, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wheeler is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wheeler in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 830 people with the name Wheeler, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,239 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Wheeler in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Wheeler?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wheeler leans strongly male. 771 people counted with this name were male (93.2%), compared with 56 female bearers (6.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Wheeler?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wheeler is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Wheeler most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wheeler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (603 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wheeler in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wheeler a male name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Wheeler in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wheeler still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wheeler in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wheeler can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Wheeler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.