Wilson

English
"son of Will"

Wilson Origin and Meaning

The name Wilson is a boy's name of English origin meaning "son of Will".

Wilson is a substantive presidential choice far less prevalent than Taylor or Tyler, and with the advantage of being a new route to friendly nickname Will. We see Wilson growing in popularity as an alternative to William; and as a patronymic, it would make a conceivable (if possibly confusing) choice for a son of William.

Being the tenth most common surname in the U.S., Wilson has countless possible last-named namesakes in every field, from politics to show biz. Those with Wilson as a first name are harder to find, beyond soul singer-songwriter Wilson Pickett and Wilson Rawls, author of the beloved book Where the Red Fern Grows. Wilson is also the name of Tom Hank's friend, the volleyball, in the movie Castaway.

# 670 in the US

Wilson Rank in US Top 1000

# 1312 on Nameberry

Wilson Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Wilson Popularity

Famous People Named Wilson

  • Wilson Chandler
    American basketball player
  • (Stephen) Wilson Bethel
    American actor
  • Wilson Pickett
    American soul and R&B singer
  • Wilson Shannon
    American politician; 14th and 16th Governor of Ohio
  • Wilson Yip
    Hong Kong actor, director and screenwriter
  • (Woodrow) Wilson Rawls
    American novelist
  • Ronald Wilson Reagan
    40th President of the United States
  • Mason Wilson Gamble
    American actor
  • Woodrow Wilson
    28th President of the United States
  • Owen and Luke Wilson
    American actors
  • Brian
    Dennis and Carl Wilson, founding members of the Beach Boys

Wilson in Pop Culture

  • Wilson
    volleyball in movie "Cast Away"
  • Wilson West
    character on TV's "7th Heaven"
  • Wilson Percival Higgsbury
    character from video game "Don't Starve"
  • Wilson Klaus
    character on TV's "Into the Dark"
  • Dr. James Wilson
    character on TV's "House" known mostly as Wilson
  • "Wilson
    " song by Phish
  • "Jackie and Wilson
    " song by Hozier