Girl · #455 in 2026

Willa

Willa is a feminine given name. Notable people and characters with the name include:Willa or Guilla of Provence, early medieval Frankish queen Willa of Tuscany, queen consort of Berengar II of Italy Willa Brown (1906–1992), African-American pioneering aviator, lobbyist, teacher and civil rights activist Willa Cather (1873–1947), American novelist and writer Willa McGuire Cook (1928–2017),…

Current Rank
#455
Peak Rank
#273 (2019)
Total Babies
33K
5-Yr Trend
-13%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
2019
Peak Year
#273
Peak Rank
33K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Willa

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Willa is a feminine given name. Notable people and characters with the name include:Willa or Guilla of Provence, early medieval Frankish queen Willa of Tuscany, queen consort of Berengar II of Italy Willa Brown (1906–1992), African-American pioneering aviator, lobbyist, teacher and civil rights activist Willa Cather (1873–1947), American novelist and writer Willa McGuire Cook (1928–2017),…

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Willa

Willa first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 12 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2019, when 889 Willas were born — ranking #356 that year. As of 2026, Willa ranks #455 for baby girls with 674 births, gradually falling (-13%). In total, more than 33K Willas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
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Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Willa

Phonetically similar names — useful when Willa 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 Willa

What does the name Willa mean?
Willa is a feminine given name. Notable people and characters with the name include:Willa or Guilla of Provence, early medieval Frankish queen Willa of Tuscany, queen consort of Berengar II of Italy Willa Brown (1906–1992), African-American pioneering aviator, lobbyist, teacher and civil rights activist Willa Cather (1873–1947), American novelist and writer Willa McGuire Cook (1928–2017),…
How popular is Willa in 2026?
In 2026, Willa ranks #455 among girls' names in the U.S., with 674 babies given the name that year.
When was Willa most popular?
Willa reached its peak popularity in 2019, ranking #273 that year with 889 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Willa most popular?
Willa has historically been most popular in Nebraska, Vermont, South Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Willa.
Is Willa a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Willa is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Willa?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Willa include Christi, Mikaela, Lavonne. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Christi
Peak #273
👧
Mikaela
Peak #273
👧
Lavonne
Peak #274
👧
Cherie
Peak #274
👧
Charlee
Peak #272
👧
Kathie
Peak #274
👧
Terrie
Peak #274
👧
Karin
Peak #275

About the name Willa

Willa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 33K births in the dataset. Willa's peak popularity came in 2019 when it ranked #273. Use the chart and map above to compare Willa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.