William

Meaning: Will and helmet
Origin: Germanic

Nicknames: Bill, Billy, Will, Willie, Billie

Boy's name · #9 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

William has held steady since 1880, standing at #9 in 2025. At one stretch it held the national top 10 for 96 consecutive years.

Across the states

See where William is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states, the #1 boy's name in 1 of them. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

William is especially popular in Norway, Canada, and Australia (QLD).

#3 in Norway (2025) · #5 in Canada (2025) · #5 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #7 in Sweden (2025) · #9 in Denmark (2025) · #10 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #11 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #13 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #16 in New Zealand (2025) · #25 in England & Wales (2025) · #44 in Belgium (2025) · #50 in Finland (other-lang.) (2025) and 14 more.

Famous Williams

William Shakespeare — English playwright and poet (1564–1616)
William Blake — English poet and artist (1757–1827)
William Butler Yeats — Irish poet and playwright (1865–1939)
William Faulkner — American writer (1897–1962)
William Howard Taft — President of the United States from 1909 to 1913 (1857–1930)
William McKinley — President of the United States from 1897 to 1901 (1843–1901)
William the Conqueror — King of England from 1066 to 1087 (1028–1087)
William Henry Harrison — President of the United States in 1841 (1773–1841)
William IV — King of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1837 (1765–1837)
William Shatner — Canadian actor (born 1931)

In stories & tradition

William Tell — Folk hero of Switzerland
William (Captain Marvel) — Batman: The Brave and the Bold (TV series)
William (Bill Weasley) — Ficitonal character in the Harry Potter universe

What Williams become

Among 37,502 notable people named William:

Military figures appear 3× more often than among typical names — e.g. William Tecumseh Sherman, United States Army general (1820–1891).

Twin names

Popular twin pairings with William include Benjamin, James, and Andrew for boys, and Emma, Elizabeth, and Sophia for girls.

Spellings & nicknames

About 210 boys a year are given Billy as their full name, 180 Will, and 150 Willie.

Similar names: Charles · Wyatt · Robert · Henry · Weston · Oliver

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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