Ray vs Wilbur
Ray and Wilburcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Ray was ranked #613 and Wilbur #545 among boys in England and Wales.
Ray and Wilbur over time
Ray and Wilbur appear together in 1 published list, across 22 years of shared records. Ray held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Wilbur in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ray and Wilbur changed places 5 times in England and Wales · Boys between 2003 and 2024, ending at #613 and #545.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Ray #429 in 2019, Wilbur #429 in 2019.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys22 shared years, 2003–2024
Ray held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Wilbur in 5.
Highest recorded here: Ray #429 in 2019, Wilbur #429 in 2019.
The order changed in 2024: Wilbur moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #539 and #593; by 2024 that had become #613 and #545.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ray #613, Wilbur #545.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Ray | Wilbur |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #676 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #545 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ray has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Wilbur.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Ray
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #265 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1967–2025
Highest recorded position: #251 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1970 (recorded 1967–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #676 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Wilbur
Popularity journey
First recorded2003
First recorded at #3467 among boys in England and Wales in 2003 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2003–2024
Highest recorded position: #429 among boys in England and Wales, in 2019 (recorded 2003–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #545 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys