Willow
The English name of the tree, from Old English welig. The flexible branches gave rise to the adjective willowy before the word became a name.
Willow in 2025
Willow was given to 4,786 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 114th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 693 babies born.
The history of Willow
Willow reached its highest point in 2021, when 5,231 babies were given the name, ranking 103rd that year.
Across the 136 years of records since 1890, 65,560 babies have been named Willow. Half of them were born before 2019, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Alpha.
Willow by decade
| Decade | Babies named Willow | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 | 2,468 |
| 1900s | 40 | 2,283 |
| 1910s | 111 | 2,867 |
| 1920s | 258 | 2,477 |
| 1930s | 208 | 2,735 |
| 1940s | 175 | 3,059 |
| 1950s | 138 | 3,938 |
| 1960s | 139 | 4,480 |
| 1970s | 507 | 2,422 |
| 1980s | 344 | 2,906 |
| 1990s | 1,260 | 1,287 |
| 2000s | 6,076 | 622 |
| 2010s | 27,236 | 129 |
| 2020s | 29,063 | 103 |
Where Willow is heading
Willow has risen 69% over the past decade, from 2,826 babies in 2015 to 4,786 in 2025.
Names like Willow
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Willow.