Wilburta
Feminine variant form of the Old German name Wilburt meaning "resolute will" or "brilliant courage".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Wilburta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wilburta today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilburta births was 1916 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilburta. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Wilburta is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wilburtas were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wilburta. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1916
11 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1942 SSA rank
#5,362
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Wilburta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wilburta from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 50 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilburta 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 Wilburta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wilburta
The name Wilburta is a feminine given name with roots in the Old English language. It is derived from the Germanic elements "wil" meaning "desire" and "burht" meaning "bright" or "shining." The name essentially translates to "one who desires brightness" or "one who desires brilliance."
In its earliest form, the name was spelled "Wilburgæ" and first appeared in the 7th century AD among the Anglo-Saxon communities of what is now England. It was a popular name among the nobility and upper classes during this period, often bestowed upon daughters as a symbolic wish for them to lead a life filled with radiance and joy.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Venerable Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," where he mentions a Wilburta who was a nun in the 7th century monastery of Barking in Essex. This Wilburta was known for her piety and dedication to the religious life.
In the 9th century, a Wilburta of Heidenheim was a prominent figure in the court of the Carolingian emperor Louis the Pious. She served as a trusted advisor and confidante to the emperor and was renowned for her wisdom and diplomatic skills.
During the 12th century, a Wilburta of Bingen was a notable abbess and composer in the Rhineland region of Germany. She wrote numerous religious works and is credited with influencing the development of Gregorian chant.
In the 15th century, a Wilburta of Aragon was a Spanish noblewoman who played a significant role in the court of King Ferdinand II of Aragon. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of Renaissance scholars and artists.
Another notable Wilburta was Wilburta Oppenheimer, a German-born American physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. Born in 1904, she made significant contributions to the development of nuclear weapons and later became an advocate for nuclear disarmament.
While the name Wilburta has fallen out of common usage in modern times, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of historical names, carrying with it the legacy of its Old English roots and the aspirations of those who bore it throughout the centuries.
People
Wilburta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilburta 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
Wilburta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilburta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilburta 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Wilburta a common name?
We classify Wilburta as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 88 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilburta most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilburta was 1916, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilburta is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Wilburta in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wilburta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wilburta in the SSA data are female. 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 Wilburta still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wilburta 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 Wilburta 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Wilburta?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.