Wilber History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Wilber family

The surname Wilber was first found in Lancashire where William Wyldebar was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1242. A few years later, William Wylebor was found in Yorkshire in 1307. 1

The name is a "nickname from the Wild Boar." 2 "The early, or Anglo-Saxon, form of the word is preserved in the surname Wilbar (pronounced Wilebar) from mild, and bar, a boar." 3

By the time of the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, two of the family held lands there at the time: Willelmus Wyldebore; and Johannes Wildebore. 4

However another source has a slightly different origin for the family: "Wildbore is another Nottinghamshire name now rare in the county. There were freeholders of the name at Misterton and at other places in the county in 1698." 5

Wildbore House is generally believed to have been located in the town of Knottingley, Yorkshire but the house was demolished when its land was mined as a quarry.

Early History of the Wilber family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilber research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1307, 1455, 1487, 1720 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Wilber History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilber Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wildbore, Wildeboer, Wyldbore, Wilber, Wylber, Wyldebore, Wilebore and many more.

Early Notables of the Wilber family

More information is included under the topic Early Wilber Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wilber Ranking

In the United States, the name Wilber is the 4,586^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Wilber migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wilber Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Samuel Wilber, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1633 7

Wilber Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Wilber, who was naturalized in Indiana in 1848
J Wilber, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
T Wilber, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Wilber (post 1700) +

Carey Wilber (1916-1998), American journalist and television writer from Buffalo, New York, known for many television script including The Asphalt Jungle, Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, Bonanza, and Maverick, but best known for his Star Trek script "Space Seed" (1967) which inspired the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Robert Sage "Bob" Wilber (1928-2019), American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader from New York, New York
Doreen Viola Hansen Wilber (1930-2008), American archer, winner of the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich
Donald Newton Wilber (1908-1997), American writer and spy
Roland Wilber, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 1960 8
Reuben Wilber, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 11th District, 1830-33 8
Mark D. Wilber, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, 1885-89 8
George I. Wilber, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1904 8
Eugene Wilber, American politician, Circuit Judge in Michigan 10th Circuit, 1894-99 8
David N. Wilber, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Dutchess County 2nd District, 1932 8
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html