Bill
Bill is a masculine given name, generally a short form (hypocorism) of William. It can also be used as the adaptation into English of the popular Greek name Vasilis or Vasileios (Basil), especially amongst Greek immigrants in English-speaking countries, probably due to similarity in the sound.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Bill
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bill is a masculine given name, generally a short form (hypocorism) of William. It can also be used as the adaptation into English of the popular Greek name Vasilis or Vasileios (Basil), especially amongst Greek immigrants in English-speaking countries, probably due to similarity in the sound.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Bill
The earliest SSA record of Bill as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 53 babies received it. 1947 was its biggest year on record, with 4,681 newborns named Bill — #76 in the national rankings. About 24% of every Bill on record arrived during the 1940s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Bill ranks #4,860 for baby boys with 20 births, falling sharply (-35%). All told, over 160K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Bill
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Bill. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Bill
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bill is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill
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In which U.S. states is Bill most popular?
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About the name Bill
Bill is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 160K births in the dataset. Bill's peak popularity came in 1947 when it ranked #57. Use the chart and map above to compare Bill's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1947 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.