William
“will”
The alphabet
Names that begin
with W
1,301 W names on the record since 1880 — 34 of them in today's top 1000, split almost evenly between girls and boys. Tap + on any name to build a shortlist as you browse.
the double valley
1,301
IAll 1,301 · one place · no pages
Every W name
Ranked by current US popularity, down to spellings given to five babies in a year. Search, filter, and tap + to keep the ones worth arguing about.
Wyatt
“either "brave in war" or "wood”
Willow
“the willow tree”
Wesley
“West meadow”
Weston
“Western settlement or farmstead”
Wrenley
Peaked at #148 in 2024
Wren
“the wren”
Wrenlee
“wren (the bird) + Lee”
26 names — the full letter, top 8 aboveall 1,301 load once · no pages
Ranks are today’s national standing; “ever” counts every baby recorded with that spelling since 1880. Every name links to its full history and meaning.
IIRead before you shortlist
What the letter is telling you
The leader
William carries the letter.
#9 in the country — no W name, girl or boy, sits higher. It reads “will.”
The lean
W leans boy.
22 boy names in today's top 1000 against 12 for girls — about three to two in the boys' favor.
The crossovers
No name goes both ways.
Every charting W name belongs to one column — the letter splits clean.
W through the decades
W names among each decade’s 200 chart spots1880s2020s
The 1910s were W’s best decade — 10 of the era’s 200 chart spots (top 100 girls + top 100 boys), led by Willie and William.
Girls Boys · counted from every US birth certificate filed since 1880
IIIFrom below the radar
Quietly excellent, letter W
Names our records love that most shortlists miss — real, recorded, and nowhere near overused.
Wylder#669
from the English word "wild — on a steady climb up the charts.
Wrenleigh#683
“wren (the bird) + -leigh” — at its highest point on record.
Westyn#723
from the western town or farmstead — #723 today, 36 years after it was first recorded.
Fresh climbers across every letter live on Rising names.
IVPast the ranked list
Beyond the ranks
Strong W names the ranked list above never reaches — each with its own note from the records.
Shortlist getting long?
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NameBattle · 146 years of official US statistics behind every name on this page.