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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Willis

Willis was the 2567th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 52 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 86th; the most babies were born in 1924 (1,261). Over the last ten years it has moved down 588 places. More babies were named Willis in the 1920s than in any other decade.

Meaning "son of Will" (William) · English, Germanic

Say it WIL-is /ˈwɪlɪs/

Rank in 2025
#2,567 boys, down 333 places since 2020
Babies in 2025
52boys
Girls and boys
Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
Peak year
19241,261 babies
Total since 1880
53,154babies recorded

What does the name Willis mean?

Willis is an English surname meaning "son of Will", made from the medieval pet form of William. William is a Germanic name made of willo, "will, desire", and helm, "helmet, protection". DMNES records English pet forms of William such as Wille and Wilkin from the 14th century. Willis was used as a first name in the US mainly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

willo (Old High German, “will”)helm (Old High German, “helmet”)

How sure is this? Well established.

Related names: William, Will, Wills, Willie.

See also: English names.

Sources for this meaning

Willis popularity since 1880

05001k1.5k2k 1900192019401960198020002020
Boys Babies per year, US, from Social Security records. Years with fewer than 5 babies show as zero.

A few girls are given the name too: 818 since 1887.

YearRank (boys)Babies (boys)
2025#2,56752
2020#2,23462
2010#2,42752
2000#1,246107
1990#808159
1980#573228
1970#501260
1960#389414
1950#313476
1940#209609
1930#159965
1920#1331,197
1910#149216
1900#134169
1890#118129
1880#86166

How popular is Willis, counting every spelling?

Willis has no other common spelling that sounds the same.

How many kids will share the name Willis?

52 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Willis (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Willis 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 161 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Willis.

Chance of another Willis in a class of 20under 1 in 50US, born 2025
Most likely inOhiounder 1 in 50 (2024)

Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.

How old are people named Willis?

About 15,700 people born in the US named Willis are alive today, with a median age of 62; half are between 43 and 75. That makes Willis a name most people associate with older generations.

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980–8990+
Estimated people alive in the US with the name, by age, mid-2026. The darker bar holds the median age.

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.

Willis by state

How common Willis was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 46 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.

Alaska: fewer than 5 a yearAK–Maine: fewer than 5 a yearME–Wisconsin: fewer than 5 a yearWI–Vermont: fewer than 5 a yearVT–New Hampshire: fewer than 5 a yearNH–Washington: fewer than 5 a yearWA–Idaho: fewer than 5 a yearID–Montana: fewer than 5 a yearMT–North Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearND–Minnesota: fewer than 5 a yearMN–Illinois: fewer than 5 a yearIL–Michigan: fewer than 5 a yearMI–New York: fewer than 5 a yearNY–Massachusetts: fewer than 5 a yearMA–Oregon: fewer than 5 a yearOR–Nevada: fewer than 5 a yearNV–Wyoming: fewer than 5 a yearWY–South Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearSD–Iowa: fewer than 5 a yearIA–Indiana: 0.03 per 1,000 babiesIN0.03Ohio: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesOH0.05Pennsylvania: fewer than 5 a yearPA–New Jersey: fewer than 5 a yearNJ–Connecticut: fewer than 5 a yearCT–Rhode Island: fewer than 5 a yearRI–California: 0.01 per 1,000 babiesCA0.01Utah: fewer than 5 a yearUT–Colorado: fewer than 5 a yearCO–Nebraska: fewer than 5 a yearNE–Missouri: fewer than 5 a yearMO–Kentucky: fewer than 5 a yearKY–West Virginia: fewer than 5 a yearWV–Virginia: fewer than 5 a yearVA–Maryland: fewer than 5 a yearMD–Delaware: fewer than 5 a yearDE–Arizona: fewer than 5 a yearAZ–New Mexico: fewer than 5 a yearNM–Kansas: fewer than 5 a yearKS–Arkansas: fewer than 5 a yearAR–Tennessee: fewer than 5 a yearTN–North Carolina: 0.02 per 1,000 babiesNC0.02South Carolina: fewer than 5 a yearSC–District of Columbia: fewer than 5 a yearDC–Oklahoma: fewer than 5 a yearOK–Louisiana: fewer than 5 a yearLA–Mississippi: fewer than 5 a yearMS–Alabama: fewer than 5 a yearAL–Georgia: fewer than 5 a yearGA–Hawaii: fewer than 5 a yearHI–Texas: 0.01 per 1,000 babiesTX0.01Florida: fewer than 5 a yearFL–
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex, Willis, boys, 2021–2025. Darker means more common.

Names with a similar history

These names rose and fell in step with Willis: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Willis, they share its era and feel.

Middle names for Willis · Sibling names for Willis

Questions about the name Willis

What does Willis mean?

Willis means “"son of Will" (William)” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.

How popular is the name Willis?

Willis was the 2567th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 52 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 86th; the most babies were born in 1924 (1,261). Over the last ten years it has moved down 588 places. More babies were named Willis in the 1920s than in any other decade.

Is Willis a boy or girl name?

In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Willis in the US.

Where is Willis most popular?

In 2021–2025, Willis was most common in Ohio (0.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Indiana and North Carolina.