Boy · #10 in 2026

William

William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English include Will or Wil, Wills, Willy, Willie, Bill, Billie, and Billy.

  • English
Current Rank
#10
Peak Rank
#2 (1947)
Total Babies
4.2M
5-Yr Trend
-23%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1928
Peak Year
#278
Peak Rank
16K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of William

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

William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English include Will or Wil, Wills, Willy, Willie, Bill, Billie, and Billy.

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English
Etymology
William is related to the German given name Wilhelm . Both ultimately descend from Proto-Germanic *Wiljahelmaz , with a direct cognate also in the Old Norse name Vilhjalmr and a West Germanic borrowing into Medieval Latin Willelmus . The Proto-Germanic name is a compound of * wiljô "will, wish, desire" and * helmaz "helm, helmet ". By regular sound change, Proto-Germanic * Wiljahelmaz should have also descended into English as * Wilhelm , but this latter form is unattested in written English of any period; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle refers to William the Conqueror as Willelm , a back-formation

The Story of William

William first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 9,532 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1947, when 67,001 Williams were born — ranking #4 that year. As of 2026, William ranks #10 for baby boys with 9,962 births, falling sharply (-23%). In total, more than 4.2M Williams 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
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of William

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with William. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Where is William most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • China
    26%
  • GH
    19%
  • TZ
    19%
  • UG
    18%
  • Nigeria
    17%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like William

Phonetically similar names — useful when William 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 William

What does the name William mean?
William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English include Will or Wil, Wills, Willy, Willie, Bill, Billie, and Billy.
What is the origin of the name William?
William has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is William in 2026?
In 2026, William ranks #10 among boys' names in the U.S., with 9,962 babies given the name that year.
When was William most popular?
William reached its peak popularity in 1947, ranking #2 that year with 67,001 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is William most popular?
William has historically been most popular in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named William.
Is William a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, William is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with William?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with William include Matthew, Christopher, Mason. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of William?
Common variants and related forms of William include Bill, Billie, Billy, Liam, Wil, Will. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

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About the name William

William is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 4.2M births in the dataset. William's peak popularity came in 1947 when it ranked #2. Use the chart and map above to compare William'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.