Wil
Wil is a town and political municipality in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It has a small-town character and is an important center for the west of the canton, lower Toggenburg and Hinterthurgau. Wil had a population of 25,176 by the end of 2024. With 74,550 inhabitants, the agglomeration of Wil is the second-largest conurbation in Eastern Switzerland.
Meaning & Origin of Wil
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Wil is a town and political municipality in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It has a small-town character and is an important center for the west of the canton, lower Toggenburg and Hinterthurgau. Wil had a population of 25,176 by the end of 2024. With 74,550 inhabitants, the agglomeration of Wil is the second-largest conurbation in Eastern Switzerland.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Wil
Wil first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1953, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2005, when 48 Wils were born — ranking #2,399 that year. As of 2026, Wil ranks #9,864 for baby boys with 7 births, gradually falling (-7%). In total, more than 1K Wils have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Wil
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Anna Sutter (1871 in Wil – 1910), operatic soprano.
- Nikolaus Senn (1926–2014), former co-director of the Schweizerische Bankgesellschaft .
- Kurt Widmer (1940 in Wil – 2023), baritone and voice teacher.
- Yvonne Gilli (born 1957), physician and politician, lives in Wil.
- Karin Keller-Sutter (born 1963), politician, elected to the Swiss Federal Council in 2018, spent her childhood in Wil.
- Renato Tosio (born 1964 in Wil), retired professional ice hockey goaltender.
- Alex Zülle (born 1968 in Wil), former professional road bicycle racer.
- Fred W. Mast (born ca.1968 in Wil), professor of Psychology at the University of Bern , specializing in mental imagery.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Wil
Phonetically similar names — useful when Wil 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 Wil
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About the name Wil
Wil is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1953 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Wil's peak popularity came in 2005 when it ranked #2,399. Use the chart and map above to compare Wil's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2005 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "W" →
- 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.