Wileen
A feminine name, potentially connected to meanings like "resolute protector" or "willful helmsman".
Name Census estimates that about 71 living Americans carry the first name Wileen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wileen today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wileen births was 1970 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wileen. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wileen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
71
~ 1 in 4,827,526 Americans
Peak year
1970
17 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
1981 SSA rank
#12,154
Tracked since 1943
Census
Wileen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 158 people with the first name Wileen, which placed it at #44,091 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
#44,091
National first-name rank
People counted
158
158 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
38.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wileen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wileen is White at 38.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (23.4%). 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 Wileen 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 Wileen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White38.0% · 60
- Black or African American23.4% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.4% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.1% · 8
- Two or more races3.8% · 6
Popularity
Wileen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wileen from the 1940s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 46 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wileen 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 Wileen 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 Wileen
The name Wileen is believed to have originated from the ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Europe, particularly in the region that is now known as Ireland. Its origins can be traced back to the 5th or 6th century AD, during the early medieval period.
The name Wileen is thought to be derived from the Celtic word "wil," which means "desire" or "will," and the suffix "-een," which was commonly used to form diminutive or affectionate names. Thus, the name Wileen may have originally meant "little desired one" or "little one with a strong will."
While the name has ancient roots, there are no known references to it in early Celtic texts or historical records from that period. The earliest recorded instances of the name Wileen date back to the 12th century, appearing in various Irish annals and genealogical records.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Wileen was a 12th-century Irish noblewoman named Wileen Ní Cheallaigh, who was a member of the prominent Ó Ceallaigh (O'Kelly) clan from County Galway. Another notable figure was Wileen Ní Bhriain, a 13th-century Irish poet and bard from County Clare.
In the 16th century, there was a Wileen Ní Dhomhnaill, a member of the powerful Ó Domhnaill (O'Donnell) dynasty from County Donegal, who was known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
During the 17th century, Wileen Ní Mhaonaigh, a renowned musician and harpist from County Sligo, gained prominence for her skill and contributions to Irish traditional music.
In the 18th century, Wileen Ní Chéirín, a respected poet and storyteller from County Kerry, was celebrated for her mastery of the Irish language and her role in preserving oral traditions.
While the name Wileen has deep roots in Irish and Celtic culture, it remains relatively uncommon and has not gained widespread popularity outside of these regions. However, its unique sound and historical significance continue to intrigue those interested in the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of Ireland.
People
Wileen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wileen 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
Wileen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wileen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 71 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wileen 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 4,827,526 US residents.
Is Wileen a common name?
We classify Wileen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 90 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wileen most popular?
The single biggest year for Wileen was 1970, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wileen is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wileen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 158 people with the name Wileen, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,091 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 Wileen 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 Wileen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wileen leans strongly female. 158 people counted with this name were female (98.8%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.3%). 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 Wileen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wileen is White at 38.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (23.4%). 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 Wileen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wileen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 38.0% (60 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 Wileen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wileen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wileen 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 Wileen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wileen 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 Wileen 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 have the name Wileen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.