Bill
Bill was the 5235th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1931, when it ranked 57th; the most babies were born in 1947 (4,681). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,858 places. More babies were named Bill in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of William · English, Germanic
Say it BIL /bɪl/
- Rank in 2025
- #5,235 boys, down 1,575 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 18boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19474,681 babies
- Total since 1880
- 161,190babies recorded
What does the name Bill mean?
Bill is a short form of William, as Wiktionary notes; it is unclear how the W became a B, perhaps through the medieval habit of rhyming nicknames, as in Bob from Rob. William is a Germanic name from wil 'will, desire' and helm 'helmet, protection'. It can also be short for Arabic Bilal. Presidents Bill Clinton (William Jefferson) and others have made it familiar.
wil (Old High German, “will, desire”)helm (Old High German, “helmet, protection”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: William, Billy, Will, Willie.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean protector.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bill', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'William', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Bill
The usual nicknames for Bill are Billy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Bill in the last five years, 934 were named Billy, against 694 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billy · also for William | Traditional | #1,068 | 1,037 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Bills go by each one.
Bill popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 716 since 1908.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,235 | 18 |
| 2020 | #3,660 | 29 |
| 2010 | #2,377 | 53 |
| 2000 | #1,189 | 114 |
| 1990 | #995 | 112 |
| 1980 | #540 | 251 |
| 1970 | #233 | 1,020 |
| 1960 | #95 | 4,501 |
| 1950 | #131 | 2,040 |
| 1940 | #67 | 3,267 |
| 1930 | #59 | 3,160 |
| 1920 | #121 | 1,421 |
| 1910 | #124 | 259 |
| 1900 | #117 | 196 |
| 1890 | #186 | 72 |
| 1880 | #221 | 53 |
How popular is Bill, counting every spelling?
Bill has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Bill?
18 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bill (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bill born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 465 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bill.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bill?
About 65,100 people born in the US named Bill are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 62 and 79. That makes Bill a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bill by state
How common Bill was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bill: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bill, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bill · Sibling names for Bill
Bill is also a nickname for William.
Questions about the name Bill
What does Bill mean?
Bill means “short form of William” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bill?
Bill was the 5235th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1931, when it ranked 57th; the most babies were born in 1947 (4,681). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,858 places. More babies were named Bill in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Bill a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Bill in the US.
Where is Bill most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bill was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 boys).