William
A boys’ name of Germanic origin, meaning resolute protector.
Babies a year
14,922
the US, 2017
Rarity
Common
among names in use
US popularity
#9
up from #10
UK popularity
#25
1,456 babies · up from #27
How William has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #5 |
| 2016 | #3 |
| 2017 | #3 |
| 2018 | #3 |
| 2019 | #4 |
| 2020 | #5 |
| 2021 | #6 |
| 2022 | #6 |
| 2023 | #10 |
| 2024 | #10 |
| 2025 | #9 |
In 2025, 1,456 babies in England and Wales were named William. In the US, 14,922 were, though that figure is from 2017 — the most recent full year we hold. Its US peak was 66,986 in 1947.
Looking further back: between 1880 and 2008, William was most common in 1880, when it went to 8.05% of American babies of that sex. Squarely vintage-revival territory.
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