Gender
Origin
- Germanic
- Resolute protector: will. For a long time after the Norman conquest in A.D. 1066 many English boys were given some form of William the Conquers name. William. The firstborn son of Prince Charles is named William.
- German
- Resolute or brilliant
Syllables
3
Themes
- Presidential
- Surname
Alternate Spellings and Variants of William
Pronunciation
wi(l)-liam
Famous People
President William Jefferson Clinton, Playwright William Shakespeare, Actor William Hurt, Poet William Yeats, Poet Wiliam Blake, Actor William Macy, Writer William Faulkner
Celebrity Babies
Son of Billy Bob Thornton, Son of Abraham Lincoln, Son of Billy Crudup, Son of Kimberly Williams, Son of Mel Gibson, Son of Mary-Louise Parker, Son of Colin Firth, Son of Christompher Reeve
Popularity in the USA
- Boys: peak in 1947 (rank #4, 66,974 births); most recent 2025 (rank #9, 10,545 births)
- Girls: peak in 1928 (rank #368, 349 births); most recent 2025 (rank #11932, 7 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10,545 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10,596 | 9 |
| 2023 | 10,653 | 6 |
| 2022 | 11,349 | 7 |
| 2021 | 12,166 | 21 |
| 2020 | 12,673 | 14 |
| 2019 | 13,649 | 12 |
| 2018 | 14,645 | 12 |
| 2017 | 15,042 | 18 |
| 2016 | 15,808 | 20 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in the USA (2025)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), national baby names data (public domain). This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SSA. Data years: 1880 to 2025. Original data
Popularity in England and Wales
- Boys: peak in 1999 (rank #10, 5,287 births); most recent 2025 (rank #25, 1,456 births)
- Girls: peak in 2016 (rank #5780, 3 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,456 | – |
| 2024 | 1,517 | – |
| 2023 | 1,544 | – |
| 2022 | 1,806 | – |
| 2021 | 2,093 | – |
| 2020 | 2,215 | – |
| 2019 | 2,667 | – |
| 2018 | 3,015 | – |
| 2017 | 3,437 | – |
| 2016 | 3,819 | 3 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in England and Wales (2025)
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Baby names in England and Wales. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1996 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in France
- Boys: peak in 1999 (rank #53, 1,601 births); most recent 2023 (rank #130, 515 births)
- Girls: peak in 2003 (rank #2692, 7 births); most recent 2004 (rank #4708, 3 births)
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 515 | – |
| 2022 | 655 | – |
| 2021 | 674 | – |
| 2020 | 711 | – |
| 2019 | 760 | – |
| 2018 | 800 | – |
| 2017 | 774 | – |
| 2016 | 857 | – |
| 2015 | 936 | – |
| 2014 | 889 | – |
Top girl names · Top boy names in France (2023)
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (last updated 8 July 2024), used under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0. Changes: names are shown in title case, and spellings that differ only by accents are counted together. Data years: 1900 to 2023. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Ireland
- Boys: peak in 1965 (rank #8, 1,000 births); most recent 2025 (rank #76, 81 births)
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 81 |
| 2024 | 87 |
| 2023 | 94 |
| 2022 | 103 |
| 2021 | 118 |
| 2020 | 118 |
| 2019 | 141 |
| 2018 | 157 |
| 2017 | 139 |
| 2016 | 155 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Ireland (2025)
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland, Irish Babies' Names (tables VSA50 and VSA60), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes: spellings that differ only by accents (for example Rian and Rían) are counted together. Data years: 1964 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Scotland
- Boys: peak in 1974 (rank #11, 777 births); most recent 2025 (rank #52, 80 births)
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 80 |
| 2024 | 77 |
| 2023 | 92 |
| 2022 | 117 |
| 2021 | 146 |
| 2020 | 126 |
| 2019 | 147 |
| 2018 | 153 |
| 2017 | 164 |
| 2016 | 174 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Scotland (2025)
Source: National Records of Scotland (NRS), Babies' First Names. © Crown copyright. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1974 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in Northern Ireland
- Boys: peak in 1997 (rank #26, 131 births); most recent 2025 (rank #59, 38 births)
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 38 |
| 2024 | 40 |
| 2023 | 41 |
| 2022 | 39 |
| 2021 | 47 |
| 2020 | 43 |
| 2019 | 55 |
| 2018 | 50 |
| 2017 | 58 |
| 2016 | 70 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in Northern Ireland (2025)
Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), Baby Names. © Crown copyright. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data years: 1997 to 2025. Original data · Licence
Popularity in British Columbia (Canada)
- Boys: peak in 1953 (rank #4, 529 births); most recent 2023 (rank #27, 69 births)
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 69 |
| 2022 | 113 |
| 2021 | 126 |
| 2020 | 151 |
| 2019 | 192 |
| 2018 | 182 |
| 2017 | 178 |
| 2016 | 185 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2014 | 185 |
Top girl names · Top boy names in British Columbia (Canada) (2023)
Source: British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, Most popular baby names for the past 100 years. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia. Changes: names are shown in title case. Data years: 1924 to 2023. Original data · Licence