Wilber
An old surname usually explained as meaning “pleasant bower” or, in some cases, as a short form of Germanic names beginning with Wil- (“desire,” “will”).
The #5,642 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,162 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname has been explained in more than one way. One traditional interpretation treats it as built from Old English elements often glossed as "wil" meaning pleasant or desirable and "bur" meaning a dwelling or bower, giving the sense "pleasant dwelling" or "pleasant bower." Other 19th-century writers also connected Wilber with longer Germanic personal names such as Wilbert, which begins with the same Wil- element meaning desire or will.
History
Older surname dictionaries place Wilber alongside forms such as Wilbor, Wilbur, and Wilboar, especially in English and American records. Because these spellings often overlap, the name may reflect either local dialect spelling changes or a shortened form of a Germanic given name. The surname is fairly uncommon in the modern United States, but its spellings have been recorded for well over a century.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source grouped Wilber with surnames derived from animal names, but another explained it as a "pleasant bower," showing how uncertain some early surname etymologies could be.
From the historical record
“Yorkshire. 2. Same as Wick, Wicks, q. v. WILDBORE. Same as Wilboar, Wilbor, Wilbur, Wilber, Wil- bar, all found as U. S. names ; from Wilbert = very illustrious. WILDGOOSE. The same as Wilgoss, Willgoss, the O. G. Willigis and Wilgis, and the A. S. Wilgis, a name which occurs in the genealogy of the Northumbrian…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames