Billie
Feminine · “resolute protection”
Billie is given to both — 103,663 girls and 31,637 boys since 1880. See Billie as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Billie began as a nickname and never really stopped acting like one — two easy syllables that arrive already shortened, already friendly. It came out of William by way of Bill, then found its own road to girls through Wilhelmina and through the long American habit of ending a pet name in -ie. It has been on the US charts since the nineteenth century, dipped, and is climbing again.
How old is the name Billie?
Billie first appears in US birth records in 1886 — 139 years ago. The typical Billie alive today was born around 1943, making them about 82 years old. About 53,500 people named Billie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Billie most popular?
Billie peaked in 1929, reaching #79 nationally. Today it ranks #691, 612 places below that high. See the whole 1929 chart.
Where it comes from
From Wilhelm to Billie
The story of Billie
The root is the Germanic name Wilhelm, built from wil, 'will' or 'desire', and helm, 'helmet, protection'. The Normans carried it into England as William in the eleventh century, where it became so common that speakers wore it down to Will and then, by a medieval rhyming habit, to Bill. Billie is the -ie form of that nickname, and it reached girls by two routes at once: as a written-out pet name for Wilhelmina, the Dutch and German feminine of the same name, and as a feminine spelling of Billy used on its own. American records have carried it as a girl's name since the nineteenth century.
Meaning
resolute protection — from the Germanic elements for 'will' and 'helmet'
The meaning belongs to William/Wilhelm, the source of both Bill and Wilhelmina; Billie inherits it from either side.
How the name formed
- Wilhelm
- William
- Will
- Bill
- Billie
Related forms: Billy · Wilhelmina · Wilhelmine · Guillermina · Guglielmina · Guillemette
Pronouncing Billie
BIL-ee
Stress on the first syllable. Identical in sound to Billy, so the spelling only shows up in writing.
Nicknames for Billie
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
- 2019 — Billie Eilish breaks through
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1886
- Most girls named
- 19293,191 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #79reached in 1929
- Change vs 2022
- +43.5%409 in 2025, from 285
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Billie in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Billy in English — spelling variant
- Wilhelmina in Dutch — related form
- Wilhelmine in German — related form
- Guillermina in Spanish — related form
- Guglielmina in Italian — related form
- Guillemette in French — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York. International figures from Statistics Canada, National Records of Scotland. Sources
Billies among us
people named Billie are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 3,930 born in 2025 was named Billie
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Opal test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Billie's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Opal climbed just as high around 1911, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Opal's path sketches the road Billie is walking now.
Billie is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Billie is headed
Billie looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 34% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Billie beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Billie in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Spelled the way it sounds, and short enough that a child can write it early.
- Comes with a ready-made formal option: Wilhelmina on the birth certificate, Billie every day, if you want both.
- On US records continuously since the nineteenth century, so it is familiar to every generation rather than new to any.
- Also charts in Canada and Scotland, and the pronunciation holds steady across English-speaking countries.
- Billie and Billy sound identical, so expect the y spelling on forms, name tags and cards for life. A quick 'with an i-e' becomes routine.
- Billy remains well established as a boy's name, so some people will assume a boy before they meet her. This eases the moment she is introduced, but it does happen on paper first.
- The name is still strongly represented among older generations, and a few very famous bearers — listed below — dominate recognition. Some people will say one of those names back to you every time.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Billie
Feminine · #691 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Billies are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 53,500 people named Billie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Billie in 2025?
- Billie ranks #691 among US girl names in 2025, with 409 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Billie?
- About 1 in every 3,930 US girls born in 2025 was named Billie — 409 in all.
- Will my child share the name Billie with classmates?
- Billie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
- What explains the spikes and dips on Billie's chart?
- Billie climbed after 2019 — Billie Eilish breaks through.
Ranked beside Billie
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kinley#691 · Lara#691 · Khaleesi#689 · Georgina#689 · Emmie#694 · Baylor#694 · Louisa#694 · Rowyn#694
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Billie? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Billie and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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