I’m a nanny for two children, 7 and 4, we go on “daily adventures” to different places to keep ourselves busy. Today, we decided that our adventure would be to treat ourselves to lunch at a local sandwich shop. While we were there we met the most outgoing and articulate two year old girl. She had blonde ringlets, wide blue eyes, and and even wider gap-toothed grin. After much talking with her (she sat next to us) we found out that her name was [name]Wilder[/name].
What are your thoughts on the name [name]Wilder[/name]?
I find myself liking the name more and more every time I think about it. I have come to the conclusion that I prefer it for a boy, though.
What do y’all think?
sidenote: I live in the US. I’m not sure about its popularity else where, but in my little southern city, I’ve never heard it used before.
I know two – [name]Alexander[/name] [name]Wilder[/name] (my age, 20s), [name]Wilder[/name] [name]Hawthorne[/name] (18ish). [name]Both[/name] are balanced, well-mannered guys. [name]Alex[/name] is a musician and [name]Wilder[/name] is a cop.
Neither one of them had problems with their names, but from what I’ve gathered, [name]Wilder[/name] was a bit rambunctious when he was younger. I think it’s actually a very cool name and with a balanced middle name to fall back on, it could work great. On a girl, it seems weird, but I can’t say it doesn’t work as it is just a word.
I grew up with a girl named [name]Willie[/name] and knew of one called [name]Wylie[/name]. I also know an older woman whose name is [name]Wylda[/name]. [name]Wilder[/name] seems like the sophisticate version of these - and, hey, it’s on trend as an author surname ([name]Laura[/name] Ingalls [name]Wilder[/name])!
I prefer it on a boy, too. I like it. I think I like similar sounding names like [name]Thatcher[/name] better, but [name]Wilder[/name] is neat.
I love [name_m]Wilder[/name_m]! I honestly don’t think of the, well, “wilder” thing. I think of the great literary ties to [name_f]Laura[/name_f] Ingalls [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] and [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] Wilde. I think it’s fab, I wished I loved it more, so I could find a spot for it on my list. It just doesn’t really fit anywhere for me right now. I do love it, though!
I actually really like [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] for a girl! Like previous posters have said, it reminds me of [name_f]Laura[/name_f] Ingalls [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] and [name_m]Oscar[/name_m] Wilde… So, a great literary name! It’d probably stay a GP though because I don’t know if I’d be brave enough to actually use it…
I love [name_m]Wilder[/name_m], on both girls and boys. They way you described the little girl, it seems like [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] is a perfect name for her. [name_f]Love[/name_f] the literary ties and the word-name sound.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] a word of caution to those of you who think that the name [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] would be cool for a girl just because of the literary ties. Please remember that “[name_m]Wilder[/name_m]” is also a word with many meanings: “to lose one’s way”, “to wander”. “to lead astray”, “to bewilder” etc… There is a certain reckless, frenzied, uninhibited, unrestrained and somewhat promiscuous connotation with the term that could prove embarrassing for a daughter. Looking at some of the synonyms of wilder would make me pause. We all are aware that boys can get away with far more “wilder” behaviour than girls ever could and they are not saddled with derogatory terms. Boys are “studs” while women are “s**ts”. Unfortunately, the world hasn’t changed very much on that subject. [name_m]Just[/name_m] something to think about before making your final decision.
When I think of [name_m]Wilder[/name_m] on a boy, I of it as a member of the testosterone-driven, bad-boy set. His brothers are probably named [name_m]Striker[/name_m] and [name_m]Ace[/name_m]. Not my style at all, but I suppose I see the appeal.
I’d never even considered it for a girl until I read your post. My first reaction was puzzlement, then I came to the conclusion that her mother ‘must’ be a [name_m]Little[/name_m] House fan. I love literary namesakes, but all in all, I think she’d likely be better off named [name_f]Laura[/name_f].
I think it’s going to be a rare girl that will be able to pull off (or alternately, be at peace with) being named [name_m]Wilder[/name_m]. For me, as I said above, celebrates the untamed physicality that our society values most in males. [name_m]Add[/name_m] to that the promiscuous connotations of a ‘wild’ teenage girl that [name_u]Mischa[/name_u] discusses, and the name loses all possible appeal for me. I can conjure up a vision of a girl that the name works for–a smart, confident, outgoing, take-no-nonsense girl with a penchant for daring sports challenges. But I can also envision a more introverted teen cringing every time a boy asks just how ‘wild’ she is. It’s not a path I’d want to send someone down.
