William
Feminine · “will-helmet”
William is given to boys far more often — 4,199,696 boys against 16,029 girls since 1880. See William as a boy name
William appears on the girls' side of the American registers because of a naming practice rather than a fashion: a daughter given her father's or grandfather's name outright, with no feminine ending added.
How old is the name William?
William was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical William alive today was born around 1948, making them about 77 years old. About 8,700 people named William are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name William most popular?
William peaked in 1883, reaching #278 nationally. Today it ranks #11932, 11,654 places below that high. See the whole 1883 chart.
Where it comes from
From Willahelm to William
The story of William
William came to England with the Conqueror and was among the two or three commonest men's names for nine hundred years. Naming a daughter after a father or grandfather was ordinary practice in nineteenth and early twentieth-century America, particularly in the South, and clerks wrote down what they were given — which is why the girls' registers of that period carry William, John, George and Willie. The practice had largely ended by the 1930s.
Meaning
will-helmet, resolute protector
From the Germanic wil, 'will' or 'desire', and helm, 'helmet' or 'protection'. Both halves are ordinary words, and the compound reads as something like 'protected by will' — the standard Germanic way of building a name from two plain nouns.
How the name formed
- Willahelm
- William
Related forms: Wilhelmina · Willa · Guillemette · Wilhelmine
Pronouncing William
WIL-yum
Two syllables, stress on the first. Said identically whichever sex carries it.
Nicknames for William
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1927321 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #278reached in 1883
- Change vs 2022
- 0.0%7 in 2025, from 7
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.
William in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Wilhelmina in Dutch — related form
- Willa in English — related form
- Guillemette in French — related form
- Wilhelmine in German — related form
Williams among us
people named William are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 229,610 born in 2025 was named William
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
William sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
William beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to William in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One of the most-used men's names in European history, with an unmatched documented record.
- Wilhelmina, Willa and Guillemette are all its feminine forms and all available.
- The meaning is transparent and both elements are well attested.
- In English the name reads as unambiguously masculine.
- The practice that produced its feminine use has effectively ended.
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What they receive
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William
Feminine · #11932 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Williams are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 8,700 people named William are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name William in 2025?
- William ranks #11932 among US girl names in 2025, with 7 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name William?
- About 1 in every 229,610 US girls born in 2025 was named William — 7 in all.
- Will my child share the name William with classmates?
- William will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside William
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Vina#11932 · Retta#11932 · Missouri#11932 · Iola#11932 · Eddie#11932 · Thomas#11932 · Louetta#11932 · Elvina#11932
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles William? See the current top 100.
Choosing between William and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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