Wilbur History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Wilbur family
The surname Wilbur was first found in Huntingdonshire, where the name appeared in the 13th century. The name Wilbur, like many surnames, comes from a personal name, in this case the Old English name Wilbeorht, which meant "will-bright." The personal version of the name was uncommon, even in its early days and had faded into near non-existence by the time the surname first appeared. Though the personal name did not appear in any records beyond the 11th century, it must have still been in use, probably by peasants, since the Wilbur name no doubt originates from it.
Early History of the Wilbur family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wilbur research. Another 33 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1595, 1622, 1656 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Wilbur History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wilbur Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Wilbur, Willbur, Wilbeorht, Wylbert, Wilbert and others.
Early Notables of the Wilbur family
More information is included under the topic Early Wilbur Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wilbur Ranking
In the United States, the name Wilbur is the 2,977th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1
Wilbur migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wilbur Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Samuel Wilbur, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1633 2
Wilbur Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- R B Wilbur, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
- M Wilbur, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
Wilbur migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Wilbur Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- David Wilbur, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
Contemporary Notables of the name Wilbur (post 1700) +
- Richard Purdy Wilbur (1921-2017), American Poetry Laureate and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, 1957 and 1989
- George Peter Wilbur (1941-2023), American actor and professional stuntman, best known for The Perfect Storm (2000), Escape from New York (1981) and Die Hard (1988)
- Claire "Catt" Wilbur (1933-2004), American actress of stage and screen and Academy Award winning producer
- Crane Wilbur (1886-1973), American writer, actor and director, best remembered for playing Harry Marvin in The Perils of Pauline (1914)
- Colonel William Hale Wilbur (1888-1979), American officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1942
- Ray Lyman Wilbur (1875-1949), American medical doctor, 3rd President of Stanford University, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior
- Everett Ray Wilbur (1883-1959), American politician, Mayor of Gilbert, Arizona, 1920-21 3
- Edward P. Wilbur, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1888 3
- David F. Wilbur, American politician, U.S. Consul in Barbados, 1904-05 3
- Daniel W. Wilbur, American Republican politician, Mayor of Poughkeepsie, New York, 1915-16 3
- ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- "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 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html