William
Norman French Williame, from the Germanic Willahelm: wil, will or desire, plus helm, helmet or protection. The Conqueror made it the commonest English male name for centuries.
William in 2025
William was given to 10,552 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 16th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 314 babies born.
The history of William
William reached its highest point in 1947, when 67,156 babies were given the name, ranking 6th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 2nd, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 4,215,725 babies have been named William. Half of them were born before 1951, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
William by decade
| Decade | Babies named William | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 85,246 | 2 |
| 1890s | 72,618 | 3 |
| 1900s | 69,646 | 3 |
| 1910s | 304,150 | 3 |
| 1920s | 515,057 | 3 |
| 1930s | 418,633 | 5 |
| 1940s | 557,985 | 5 |
| 1950s | 592,617 | 7 |
| 1960s | 423,227 | 7 |
| 1970s | 285,259 | 8 |
| 1980s | 249,961 | 18 |
| 1990s | 218,261 | 17 |
| 2000s | 194,769 | 7 |
| 2010s | 160,165 | 6 |
| 2020s | 68,131 | 11 |
Where William is heading
William has fallen 34% over the past decade, from 15,965 babies in 2015 to 10,552 in 2025.
Names like William
Names that rose and fell at the same time as William.