Willow
Willow was the 44th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 4,763 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 37th; the most babies were born in 2021 (5,195). Over the last ten years it has moved up 67 places. More babies were named Willow in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning the willow tree · English
Say it WIL-oh /ˈwɪloʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #44 girls, up 4 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,763girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20215,195 babies
- Total since 1880
- 65,560babies recorded
What does the name Willow mean?
Willow is the English tree name used as a modern girls' name. Wikipedia places it among names inspired by nature.
willow (English, “willow tree”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names, names that mean tree.
Willow popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 465 since 1924, 23 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #44 | 4,763 |
| 2020 | #48 | 4,401 |
| 2010 | #288 | 1,122 |
| 2000 | #761 | 301 |
| 1990 | #3,711 | 29 |
| 1980 | #1,831 | 60 |
| 1970 | #3,309 | 20 |
| 1960 | #3,356 | 15 |
| 1950 | #2,905 | 14 |
| 1940 | #2,106 | 16 |
| 1930 | #1,932 | 19 |
| 1920 | #2,013 | 20 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #1,530 | 5 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Willow, counting every spelling?
Willow is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #52 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #44 for Willow on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,789 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow | 4,763 | #44 | 24,467 |
| Wyllow | 26 | #5,090 | 120 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Willow?
4,763 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Willow (1.32 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Willow born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 40. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Willow.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Willow?
About 63,900 people born in the US named Willow are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 12. That makes Willow a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Willow by state
How common Willow was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (4.3×), Vermont (3.8×), Alaska (3.3×), Maine (3.2×), Wyoming (3.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, New Jersey, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Willow: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Willow, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Willow · Sibling names for Willow
Questions about the name Willow
What does Willow mean?
Willow means “the willow tree” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Willow?
Willow was the 44th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 4,763 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 37th; the most babies were born in 2021 (5,195). Over the last ten years it has moved up 67 places. More babies were named Willow in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Willow a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Willow in the US.
Where is Willow most popular?
In 2021–2025, Willow was most common in West Virginia (12.86 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Alaska.