Wilf
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- WILF
- Origin
- Old English
- UK rank, 2025
- #882 for boys
Wilf is a boys' name of Old English origin, meaning “desiring peace”. In 2025 it ranked 882nd for boys in the UK (39 babies).
What does Wilf mean?
Old English: short form of Wilfred
“desiring peace”
A short form of Wilfred, from Old English elements meaning will or desire and peace.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Wilf a girl's or a boy's name?
Wilf is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 39 boys in the UK. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Wilf in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #882among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 39about 1 in 7,700 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 20% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 39 boys in the UK were named Wilf, making it the 882nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 876th. Its busiest year was 2018, with 59 boys.
Half of all the boys named Wilf in the UK since 1996 were born between 2010 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 822nd in England and Wales.
Wilf in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 39 | #882 |
| 2024 | 36 | #942 |
| 2023 | 46 | #794 |
| 2022 | 34 | #971 |
| 2021 | 44 | #818 |
| 2020 | 37 | #876 |
| 2019 | 55 | #688 |
| 2018 | 59 | #666 |
| 2017 | 39 | #889 |
| 2016 | 46 | #788 |
| 2015 | 28 | #1,090 |
| 2014 | 37 | #891 |
| 2013 | 17 | #1,493 |
| 2012 | 23 | #1,234 |
| 2011 | 23 | #1,203 |
| 2010 | 34 | #927 |
| 2009 | 20 | #1,290 |
| 2008 | 23 | #1,171 |
| 2007 | 23 | #1,139 |
| 2006 | 21 | #1,131 |
| 2005 | 18 | #1,216 |
| 2004 | 15 | #1,301 |
| 2003 | 15 | #1,205 |
| 2002 | 8 | #1,728 |
| 2001 | 11 | #1,369 |
| 2000 | 6 | #1,977 |
| 1999 | 5 | #2,184 |
| 1998 | 3 | #3,021 |
| 1997 | 7 | #1,678 |
Names like Wilf
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Wilfred Jude Teddy Alfred Leo Theo Freddie Noah Archie Alfie Vinnie Ted
More Old English names
Edward Waylon Audrey Edith Ozzy Edie Eddie Edwin Teddie Eduardo Edgar Alden Edmund Kelsey Alvin Ozzie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Wilf: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/wilf, updated 20 October 2026.