UK boy's name
Wail
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2005. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Wail is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Wail popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2005 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3849, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 3 births.
This profile covers 6 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 1999 to 2005. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 6 living people in the UK are called Wail. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2006 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Wail ranked #3849 for boys in England and Wales in 2005, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 3 boys were registered as Wail.
- • About 6 living people in the UK are estimated to have Wail as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3849
2005
Births in 2005
3
Latest year
Peak year
1999
3 births
Estimated living
6
2026
Popularity
Wail over time
The chart below shows babies named Wail registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1999 to 2005. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Wail, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2005, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wail by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Wail was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #3849 | 3 | 1 |
| 1990s | #2943 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Wail
- William 117,982
- Wilfred 5,302
- Will 3,185
- Warren 2,787
- Wyatt 2,604
- Wesley 2,513
- Woody 1,951
- Walter 1,918
- Wiktor 1,354
- Wayne 979
- Wilbur 975
- Wade 902
FAQ
Wail: questions and answers
How popular is the name Wail in the UK right now?
In 2005, Wail was ranked #3849 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Wail most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 3 babies registered as Wail in England and Wales.
How many people are called Wail in the UK?
A total of 6 babies have been registered as Wail across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.