How Many People Are Named William?
people named William are alive in the United States today (estimate)
About 1 in 156 people in the US has this name
Based on 4,215,725 babies named William in Social Security records from 1880 to 2025, and the share of each birth year still alive in 2025.
Popularity Rank
⭐⭐⭐ Very Common
Peak Year
67,156 births
Trend
Declining (last 10 years)
📖 Name Origin & Meaning
Meaning:
From the Germanic name Willahelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". Saint William of Gellone was an 8th-century cousin of Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England in the 11th century. It was later borne by three other English kings, as well as rulers of Scotland, Sicily (of Norman origin), the Netherlands and Prussia.
Source of the meaning, origin, pronunciation and related names: Behind the Name.
⚧ Gender Distribution
Almost all of the babies given the name William (99.6%) were boys.
👥 Age Distribution
The average person named William alive today is about 50 years old, and 43% are 60 or older. Half of them were between 32 and 70 in 2025.
📈 Popularity Over Time
William first appears in the records in 1880 and was given most often in 1947, to 67,156 babies. In 2025, 10,552 babies got the name. Over the last ten years, the number each year has been falling.
Babies given the name each year, 1880 to 2025
🏆 Rank History
William reached #2 among boys' names in 1880 to 1909 and 1911 to 1920, and was in the top 10 in 118 years between 1880 and 2025. In 2025 it ranked #9.
| Boys | |
|---|---|
| Rank in 2025 | #9 |
| Best rank | #2 (1880 to 1909 and 1911 to 1920) |
| Years in the top 10 | 118 |
| Years in the top 100 | 146 (1880 to 2025) |
| Rank in its biggest decade | #6 in the 1950s |
📍 State-Wise Distribution
People named William alive today, by the state where they were born (estimate; state records start in 1910).
More people named William were born in New York than in any other state: about 165,461 of those alive today. Compared with the national rate in the same years, William was given 1.7 times as often in Delaware, 1.4 times in District of Columbia and 1.4 times in Kentucky.
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