Meaning not yet researched.
William: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 10,545 in 2025. Its best rank was #2 in 1920.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #2 in 1920; #9 in 2025. About 99.9% of babies named William in 2025 were boys.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#9 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1920, at #2.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
William: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 10,545 boys in 2025. Peak: #2 in 1920 · most boys in one year: 67,002 (1947).
In 2025, 10,545 US boys were named William, making it the 9th most common boys’ name of the year, up 1 place from #10 in 2024. That is 102 fewer than the 10,647 boys named William in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #2, reached in 1920. The most boys given the name in a single year was 67,002, in 1947. For comparison, it was #5 in 2015 and #6 in 1950.
Social Security card records list William in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 9,562 babies with the name. In all, 4,215,725 US babies have been given the name, 0.4% of them girls and 99.6% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1950s, with 592,617 babies named William.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 127,227 US boys were named William; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 15,810. In 2025 that was about 1 in 162 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, William ranked highest in Mississippi in 2025, at #2 for boys there. It was in the top 100 in 51 states (counting DC). Related spellings in the SSA files include Liam (359,085 babies since 1880), Bill (161,190 babies since 1880), Will (46,610 babies since 1880) and Guillermo (32,148 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Wilhelm, Willaim and Wiliam are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Bela, Bell, Bill, Billy, Wil and Will.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Wilhelm (1,828), Willaim (1,597), Wiliam (1,256), Guilherme (522), Lliam (491), Guillaume (342), Willliam (273), Willim (257), Williom (174), Wiiliam (25), Williiam (25), Wwilliam (23), and more.
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so every state is listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 155 | #2 | #1 |
| Alabama | 331 | #2 | #1 |
| South Carolina | 269 | #3 | #1 |
| Georgia | 475 | #3 | #1 |
| Montana | 52 | #3 | #1 |
| Wyoming | 24 | #3 | #19 |
| North Carolina | 500 | #4 | #1 |
| District of Columbia | 43 | #5 | #1 |
| Maryland | 185 | #6 | #6 |
| Tennessee | 374 | #6 | #1 |
| Alaska | 36 | #6 | #4 |
| Virginia | 358 | #7 | #1 |
| Minnesota | 226 | #7 | #3 |
| Missouri | 253 | #7 | #2 |
| Idaho | 86 | #7 | #2 |
| Louisiana | 149 | #7 | #5 |
| Ohio | 431 | #7 | #5 |
| Kansas | 121 | #8 | #2 |
| Arkansas | 125 | #8 | #1 |
| Utah | 178 | #8 | #1 |
| South Dakota | 41 | #8 | #17 |
| Colorado | 228 | #8 | #2 |
| Nebraska | 71 | #8 | #2 |
| Massachusetts | 271 | #9 | #2 |
| Maine | 43 | #9 | #7 |
| Oregon | 117 | #9 | #9 |
| Kentucky | 173 | #10 | #1 |
| Michigan | 302 | #11 | #14 |
| Wisconsin | 193 | #11 | #9 |
| Oklahoma | 127 | #11 | #2 |
| New Hampshire | 56 | #11 | #7 |
| Indiana | 218 | #11 | #6 |
| Washington | 239 | #11 | #6 |
| Connecticut | 114 | #12 | #8 |
| Illinois | 334 | #14 | #7 |
| Pennsylvania | 368 | #14 | #11 |
| Iowa | 96 | #14 | #2 |
| West Virginia | 55 | #14 | #10 |
| Vermont | 17 | #15 | #24 |
| Hawaii | 28 | #17 | #7 |
| North Dakota | 29 | #19 | #7 |
| New York | 459 | #21 | #21 |
| Texas | 892 | #21 | #16 |
| Rhode Island | 25 | #26 | #15 |
| Florida | 485 | #28 | #24 |
| Arizona | 166 | #28 | #24 |
| New Mexico | 39 | #29 | #75 |
| New Jersey | 200 | #34 | #26 |
| Delaware | 21 | #34 | #6 |
| California | 717 | #47 | #28 |
| Nevada | 50 | #50 | #28 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #13,115 | 10,545 | #9 |
| 2024 | 9 | #11,067 | 10,647 | #10 |
| 2023 | 6 | #15,081 | 10,673 | #10 |
| 2022 | 7 | #13,495 | 11,356 | #6 |
| 2021 | 21 | #5,940 | 12,170 | #6 |
| 2020 | 14 | #7,946 | 12,676 | #5 |
| 2019 | 12 | #9,085 | 13,658 | #4 |
| 2018 | 12 | #9,127 | 14,646 | #3 |
| 2017 | 18 | #6,792 | 15,046 | #3 |
| 2016 | 20 | #6,389 | 15,810 | #3 |
| 2015 | 15 | #7,988 | 15,950 | #5 |
| 2014 | 23 | #5,786 | 16,851 | #5 |
| 2013 | 14 | #8,554 | 16,669 | #5 |
| 2012 | 19 | #6,858 | 16,917 | #5 |
| 2011 | 28 | #5,056 | 17,362 | #3 |
| 2010 | 23 | #5,969 | 17,072 | #5 |
| 2009 | 15 | #8,439 | 17,937 | #5 |
| 2008 | 28 | #5,271 | 18,403 | #8 |
| 2007 | 26 | #5,518 | 18,898 | #8 |
| 2006 | 18 | #7,129 | 18,965 | #10 |
| 2005 | 28 | #4,824 | 19,060 | #11 |
| 2004 | 111 | #1,744 | 20,237 | #8 |
| 2003 | 32 | #4,212 | 20,000 | #11 |
| 2002 | 34 | #3,882 | 20,136 | #11 |
| 2001 | 24 | #5,002 | 20,110 | #10 |
| 2000 | 38 | #3,522 | 20,669 | #11 |
| 1999 | 26 | #4,440 | 20,718 | #14 |
| 1998 | 36 | #3,423 | 20,836 | #14 |
| 1997 | 26 | #4,237 | 20,020 | #19 |
| 1996 | 41 | #2,959 | 20,546 | #18 |
| 1995 | 46 | #2,683 | 20,160 | #20 |
| 1994 | 45 | #2,750 | 21,492 | #19 |
| 1993 | 42 | #2,880 | 22,218 | #18 |
| 1992 | 60 | #2,238 | 23,066 | #20 |
| 1991 | 56 | #2,319 | 23,860 | #19 |
| 1990 | 61 | #2,152 | 24,906 | #16 |
| 1989 | 94 | #1,531 | 24,673 | #15 |
| 1988 | 163 | #1,006 | 24,126 | #16 |
| 1987 | 169 | #958 | 24,202 | #15 |
| 1986 | 165 | #957 | 24,333 | #15 |
| 1985 | 183 | #879 | 24,606 | #16 |
| 1984 | 158 | #934 | 24,900 | #16 |
| 1983 | 187 | #822 | 25,396 | #16 |
| 1982 | 178 | #870 | 25,604 | #15 |
| 1981 | 171 | #888 | 24,798 | #15 |
| 1980 | 216 | #766 | 25,639 | #14 |
| 1979 | 191 | #823 | 24,676 | #13 |
| 1978 | 186 | #807 | 24,170 | #13 |
| 1977 | 187 | #805 | 24,758 | #12 |
| 1976 | 200 | #739 | 24,428 | #11 |
| 1975 | 163 | #830 | 25,561 | #10 |
| 1974 | 169 | #803 | 26,980 | #10 |
| 1973 | 163 | #807 | 28,018 | #9 |
| 1972 | 193 | #729 | 30,510 | #9 |
| 1971 | 201 | #741 | 35,413 | #7 |
| 1970 | 205 | #728 | 38,887 | #7 |
| 1969 | 199 | #716 | 37,607 | #6 |
| 1968 | 192 | #705 | 36,927 | #6 |
| 1967 | 185 | #722 | 37,615 | #6 |
| 1966 | 180 | #735 | 38,237 | #6 |
| 1965 | 157 | #790 | 40,111 | #6 |
| 1964 | 156 | #838 | 44,224 | #7 |
| 1963 | 181 | #768 | 44,453 | #7 |
| 1962 | 175 | #785 | 44,853 | #7 |
| 1961 | 204 | #729 | 48,045 | #7 |
| 1960 | 165 | #809 | 49,361 | #7 |
| 1959 | 155 | #825 | 51,386 | #7 |
| 1958 | 160 | #795 | 54,254 | #6 |
| 1957 | 168 | #776 | 56,852 | #6 |
| 1956 | 154 | #801 | 58,991 | #6 |
| 1955 | 116 | #915 | 59,990 | #6 |
| 1954 | 127 | #837 | 61,426 | #6 |
| 1953 | 131 | #805 | 61,829 | #6 |
| 1952 | 145 | #738 | 63,039 | #6 |
| 1951 | 108 | #868 | 62,781 | #6 |
| 1950 | 125 | #776 | 60,680 | #6 |
| 1949 | 131 | #752 | 61,506 | #4 |
| 1948 | 157 | #668 | 61,972 | #4 |
| 1947 | 154 | #677 | 67,002 | #4 |
| 1946 | 157 | #630 | 60,034 | #4 |
| 1945 | 142 | #609 | 50,218 | #4 |
| 1944 | 136 | #629 | 52,375 | #4 |
| 1943 | 168 | #583 | 55,904 | #4 |
| 1942 | 170 | #567 | 54,890 | #4 |
| 1941 | 140 | #597 | 47,798 | #4 |
| 1940 | 152 | #564 | 44,779 | #4 |
| 1939 | 152 | #540 | 42,071 | #4 |
| 1938 | 138 | #590 | 42,433 | #4 |
| 1937 | 164 | #514 | 40,725 | #4 |
| 1936 | 154 | #523 | 39,398 | #4 |
| 1935 | 163 | #498 | 40,204 | #4 |
| 1934 | 175 | #487 | 40,175 | #4 |
| 1933 | 195 | #469 | 39,049 | #4 |
| 1932 | 235 | #429 | 42,124 | #4 |
| 1931 | 238 | #419 | 43,280 | #4 |
| 1930 | 289 | #399 | 47,271 | #4 |
| 1929 | 337 | #362 | 47,815 | #4 |
| 1928 | 348 | #369 | 49,118 | #4 |
| 1927 | 321 | #382 | 51,476 | #4 |
| 1926 | 303 | #395 | 51,922 | #4 |
| 1925 | 289 | #404 | 53,310 | #3 |
| 1924 | 245 | #445 | 53,506 | #3 |
| 1923 | 225 | #460 | 52,136 | #3 |
| 1922 | 194 | #500 | 51,111 | #3 |
| 1921 | 189 | #517 | 51,862 | #3 |
| 1920 | 204 | #480 | 50,146 | #2 |
| 1919 | 175 | #515 | 43,969 | #2 |
| 1918 | 172 | #536 | 45,291 | #2 |
| 1917 | 165 | #519 | 42,422 | #2 |
| 1916 | 136 | #576 | 40,418 | #2 |
| 1915 | 129 | #569 | 38,563 | #2 |
| 1914 | 97 | #576 | 29,753 | #2 |
| 1913 | 94 | #530 | 23,538 | #2 |
| 1912 | 78 | #554 | 19,626 | #2 |
| 1911 | 50 | #609 | 10,593 | #2 |
| 1910 | 37 | #704 | 8,844 | #3 |
| 1909 | 35 | #682 | 7,913 | #2 |
| 1908 | 45 | #562 | 7,529 | #2 |
| 1907 | 29 | #709 | 6,904 | #2 |
| 1906 | 28 | #706 | 6,566 | #2 |
| 1905 | 28 | #682 | 6,495 | #2 |
| 1904 | 25 | #709 | 6,416 | #2 |
| 1903 | 35 | #557 | 6,311 | #2 |
| 1902 | 25 | #687 | 6,617 | #2 |
| 1901 | 32 | #545 | 5,990 | #2 |
| 1900 | 44 | #514 | 8,579 | #2 |
| 1899 | 23 | #663 | 6,086 | #2 |
| 1898 | 41 | #485 | 7,400 | #2 |
| 1897 | 32 | #529 | 7,198 | #2 |
| 1896 | 44 | #439 | 7,747 | #2 |
| 1895 | 40 | #464 | 7,277 | #2 |
| 1894 | 34 | #493 | 7,274 | #2 |
| 1893 | 32 | #486 | 7,223 | #2 |
| 1892 | 44 | #405 | 7,782 | #2 |
| 1891 | 50 | #354 | 6,763 | #2 |
| 1890 | 34 | #445 | 7,494 | #2 |
| 1889 | 46 | #357 | 7,772 | #2 |
| 1888 | 42 | #371 | 8,705 | #2 |
| 1887 | 44 | #323 | 7,470 | #2 |
| 1886 | 35 | #364 | 8,252 | #2 |
| 1885 | 33 | #353 | 8,044 | #2 |
| 1884 | 34 | #340 | 8,897 | #2 |
| 1883 | 40 | #281 | 8,387 | #2 |
| 1882 | 31 | #322 | 9,298 | #2 |
| 1881 | 30 | #289 | 8,524 | #2 |
| 1880 | 30 | #287 | 9,532 | #2 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).