Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were successful and prominent figures in society; his father was a surgeon and his mother was a poet. Oscar Wilde's first name has Irish origins and means "God-spear" or "spear of God." The name Wilde is derived from the Old Norse word "ville," which means "wild."
Wilde showed an early aptitude for literature and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Magdalen College, Oxford. He began his career as a poet but quickly gained fame as a playwright with works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and An Ideal Husband.
Despite his success, Wilde faced many challenges throughout his life due to his homosexuality during a time when it was illegal in Britain. In 1895, he was imprisoned for two years after being convicted of "gross indecency" following his affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, the son of the Marquess of Queensberry.
Wilde's name has become synonymous with wit, intelligence, and artistry. His works continue to be celebrated today for their cleverness and insight into human nature. Despite the hardships he faced, Wilde remained defiant in his beliefs and is remembered as one of the most influential figures of the Victorian era.
The name Wilde has seen a significant increase in popularity over the past decade in the United States. With only five babies being named Wilde each year in both 2009 and 2010, the name began to gain traction in 2013 with six births that year. This trend continued with an even higher number of births in subsequent years: seven in 2015, nine in both 2017 and 2018, ten in 2019, and a peak of twenty-six babies being named Wilde in the year 2020.
However, it seems that the popularity of the name Wilde may have slightly decreased in recent years, with nineteen births in 2021 and eighteen in 2022. Despite this slight dip, the name Wilde has clearly established itself as a popular choice for parents in the United States over the past decade, with a total of 130 babies being named Wilde since 2009.
This increasing trend is indicative of the ever-changing landscape of naming trends in our society, where unique and distinctive names like Wilde are gaining traction among parents looking to give their children a special identity. While it's impossible to predict future trends with certainty, it will be interesting to see whether the name Wilde maintains its popularity or continues to fluctuate in the coming years.