ninan.org

William

Boys' name · Mid-century perennial

Living in the US
~2,257,200 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#9 among boys
Births in 2025
10,552 4,215,725 since 1880
Typical age
56 years, median

William popularity over time

William rank by birth year, 1880–2025William ranked #2 in 1880 and #9 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #2, in 1880.#10#9best #2 in 188018901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1880–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

William was used most in 1947, when 67,156 babies were given the name. The name is already in use in 1880, where the data begins. William has spent 146 years inside the national top 100.

In 2025 it ranked #9 with 10,552 births. Over ten years the count has fallen 34%.

Babies named William per yearPeaks at 67,156 births in 1947.67,156 in 1947018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named William?

An estimated 2,257,200 living Americans are called William. SSA has recorded 4,215,725 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average William?

Median age among living Williams: 56. Most living bearers were born in the 1950s. By the site’s era rules that makes William a mid-century perennial name.

Your William

Ages of living people named WilliamHalf of living Williams are older than 56 and half younger.median 56020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where William is most common

Relative to births, District of Columbia carries 2.8× the national share of Williams. Wyoming, Alabama and Vermont follow.

Where William is used more than average5 states use the name William more than the national average.Alaska: not over-representedAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: 2.3× the national rateVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: 2.8× the national rateWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: 2.8× the national rateDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: 2.1× the national rateMSAlabama: 2.3× the national rateALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where William is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
District of Columbia 651 2.8×
Wyoming 230 2.8×
Alabama 3,570 2.3×
Vermont 207 2.3×
Mississippi 1,750 2.1×

William in England and Wales

In England and Wales, William ranked #25 in 2025 on 1,456 births. That is 34% lower than five years earlier.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name William comes from

From Middle English William, from Anglo-Norman Willame, from Old High German Willahelm, from Proto-Germanic *Wiljahelmaz (> Latin Gulielmus), from Proto-Germanic *wiljô (“will”) + *helmaz (“helmet”), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European roots *welh₁- (“to choose, wish, want”) and *ḱel- (“to cover, conceal, save”) respectively. Cognate with Dutch Willem, German Wilhelm, etc; cognate borrowings outside of Germanic include Doublet of Guillaume, Guillermo.

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named William

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
William Shakespeare English playwright and poet 1564–1616 336
William Blake English poet and artist 1757–1827 162
William Howard Taft 27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913 1857–1930 147
William Faulkner American writer 1897–1962 147
William McKinley president of the United States from 1897 to 1901 1843–1901 142
William Henry Harrison president of the United States in 1841 1773–1841 140
William Wordsworth English Romantic poet 1770–1850 140
William James American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist 1842–1910 124
Photo credits (8)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 10,643 in 1911 to 19,704 in 1912 — 1.9 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Names similar to William

Matched by sound and spelling inside this dataset, then ordered by total recorded births. This is not a claim about shared etymology.

Same feel, less common

The same matches, limited to names given at most half as often as William was in 2025.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/william.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).