Wilder is an English surname that goes back to the Middle English word wilde and means "wild one" or "untamed". It is familiar from author Laura Ingalls Wilder, film director Billy Wilder and actor Gene Wilder. As a first name it is part of the recent wave of rugged surname names for boys. Wilder entered the US top 1000 only in 2015, climbed quickly to number 367 in 2021 and ranks number 431 in 2025.