Baby Name Popularity Profile

William

Data-driven SSA statistics, rankings, and historical trends for William.

✦ Resolute protector 🌍 German Traditional Royal
National Rank (2025) #9
All-Time Peak Rank #2 Achieved 1880
Total U.S. Births 4,199,696 since 1880
Unisex Distribution 99.9% Boy / 0.1% Girl Overwhelmingly Male
Girl Rank (2025) Unranked rare/no Girl usage
First Recorded 1880 Data through: 2025
Peak Decade 1950s 67,002 births in 1947
πŸ’‘ The William Vibe: Considered a Perennial Favorite. A historic staple that has maintained dominant national popularity for over half a century.

🌍 Meaning & Etymology

Primary Meaning Resolute protector
Language Origin German
Origin Type single
Derived from Germanic elements *wil* 'will, desire' and *helm* 'helmet, protection'.
Common Nicknames
Will Liam Billy Bill
Pronunciation: WIL-yΙ™m
Themes & Categories
Traditional Royal
Etymology confidence: High

πŸ“Š Popularity Over Time (1880 – 2025)

Annual registration volume (number of births) for William across 146 years of SSA data.

Historical Timeline (1880 - 2025)
18801920196020002025
Recent Decade (2015 - 2025)
5-Year Trend (2020–2025) -16.8%
10-Year Trend (2015–2025) -33.9%
2015: 15,950 births 15,950 2016: 15,810 births 2017: 15,046 births 2018: 14,646 births 2019: 13,658 births 2020: 12,676 births 12,676 2021: 12,170 births 2022: 11,356 births 2023: 10,673 births 2024: 10,647 births 2025: 10,545 births 10,545
2015 2020 2025

πŸ“ˆ Popularity Milestones

Busiest Year on Record 67,002 births in 1947
Years in Top 100 146 yrs
Years in Top 500 146 yrs
Longest Streak 146 yrs
Decade-by-Decade Registration Volumes
1880s: 84,881
1890s: 72,244
1900s: 69,320
1910s: 303,017
1920s: 512,402
1930s: 416,730
1940s: 556,478
1950s: 591,228
1960s: 421,433
1970s: 283,401
1980s: 248,277
1990s: 217,822
2000s: 194,415
2010s: 159,981
2020s: 68,067

πŸ“ Sound & Spelling Structure

Phonetic Syllables Wil-liam
Letter Count 7 letters
Spelling Complexity Moderate
Length Percentile Longer than 54.1% of names
Linguistic Profile: Longer than 54.1% of SSA names. Starts with W, a letter used by only 1.1% of SSA names.

πŸ› οΈ Sibling & Surname Cadence Tool

Enter a surname or sibling name to test how it pairs with William.

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ Sibling Name Suggestions

πŸ‘¦ Brother Suggestions
Charles Robert James John Richard Freddie Domingo Eusebio Fredric Lawayne
πŸ‘§ Sister Suggestions
Frankie Marilyn Barbara Carolyn Maryann Rosetta Marylou Ruthann Karolyn Roseann

πŸ“ Authentic State & Regional Rankings

Highest Ranking State Delaware
Top States Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina
States with Data 51
State 2025 Rank Total Births Peak Year 5-Yr Velocity
Delaware #34 13,977 1958 30.0% Decline
District of Columbia #5 29,316 1947 31.7% Decline
Kentucky #10 106,224 1924 30.0% Decline
West Virginia #14 56,310 1947 29.5% Decline
South Carolina #3 84,441 1947 4.9% Decline
Tennessee #6 121,292 1947 17.3% Decline
Alabama #2 104,361 1947 10.1% Decline
Pennsylvania #14 303,784 1947 10.9% Decline
Virginia #7 128,158 1947 17.5% Decline
North Carolina #4 161,929 1947 6.2% Decline
Maryland #6 82,241 1947 15.5% Decline
Rhode Island #26 19,421 1947 34.2% Decline
Massachusetts #9 127,200 1947 17.4% Decline
Mississippi #2 64,646 1947 9.4% Decline
Wyoming #3 6,823 1953 Insufficient historical volume
Connecticut #12 54,902 1947 24.0% Decline
Georgia #3 138,034 1947 14.9% Decline
New Jersey #34 133,803 1947 28.6% Decline
Montana #3 14,645 1917 1.9% Decline
Arkansas #8 49,811 1925 18.8% Decline
Ohio #7 206,405 1947 9.1% Decline
Vermont #15 7,583 1947 Insufficient historical volume
Missouri #7 96,433 1923 18.1% Decline
New York #21 325,455 1947 13.7% Decline
Alaska #6 5,775 1955 Stable
Illinois #14 201,081 1947 28.0% Decline
Indiana #11 95,817 1951 21.3% Decline
New Hampshire #11 12,395 1947 15.2% Decline
Michigan #11 143,624 1947 15.2% Decline
Oklahoma #11 50,423 1921 15.9% Decline
Maine #9 16,137 1947 +13.2% Growth
Kansas #8 37,865 1924 3.2% Decline
Nebraska #8 25,037 1951 24.5% Decline
Iowa #14 44,345 1951 35.6% Decline
Wisconsin #11 65,688 1951 26.1% Decline
Hawaii #17 10,021 1955 3.4% Decline
Idaho #7 12,585 1920 9.5% Decline
Florida #28 106,957 1957 8.5% Decline
South Dakota #8 10,542 1922 +5.1% Growth
Oregon #9 27,629 1952 29.9% Decline
Colorado #8 36,132 1948 3.4% Decline
Washington #11 48,028 1951 14.0% Decline
Minnesota #7 53,276 1952 11.7% Decline
Louisiana #7 51,713 1951 18.6% Decline
North Dakota #19 9,566 1916 3.3% Decline
Texas #21 185,794 1953 14.4% Decline
Utah #8 19,705 2015 29.4% Decline
Nevada #50 7,709 2003 26.5% Decline
New Mexico #29 12,139 1953 2.5% Decline
California #47 221,142 1954 30.3% Decline
Arizona #28 24,932 1952 6.7% Decline

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Wilhelm Willaim Wendell Windell Waddell Wisdom Willem Waseem Wiliam Willam
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