Willy
Willy was the 4041st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 27 babies. Its best year was 1896, when it ranked 980th; the most babies were born in 1993 (69). Over the last ten years it has moved down 361 places. More babies were named Willy in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Willie) pet form of William · English, Germanic
- Rank in 2025
- #4,041 boys, down 971 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 27boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199369 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,053babies recorded
What does the name Willy mean?
Willy is a spelling of Willie, pronounced the same way, so it shares Willie's meaning and origin.
Willie is a pet form of William, and for girls of Wilhelmina, as Wiktionary notes; it often appears in double names such as Willie Mae. William is a Germanic name from wil 'will, desire' and helm 'helmet, protection', which came to England with William the Conqueror. Willie was especially common in the southern US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; Willie Nelson and Willie Mays are famous bearers.
wil (Old High German, “will, desire”)helm (Old High German, “helmet, protection”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: William, Willy, Will, Billy, Wilhelmina.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean protector.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Willie', 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)
Willy popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 116 since 1913.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,041 | 27 |
| 2020 | #3,070 | 38 |
| 2010 | #2,784 | 44 |
| 2000 | #2,084 | 49 |
| 1990 | #1,419 | 63 |
| 1980 | #1,724 | 34 |
| 1970 | #1,492 | 33 |
| 1960 | #1,082 | 52 |
| 1950 | #1,392 | 28 |
| 1940 | #1,310 | 27 |
| 1930 | #1,398 | 28 |
| 1920 | #1,590 | 24 |
| 1910 | #1,586 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Willy, counting every spelling?
Willy is a spelling of Willie, a name family that ranked #1,124 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,041 for Willy on its own. Together these spellings went to 174 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willie | 147 | #1,322 | 766 |
| Willy | 27 | #4,041 | 132 |
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 Willy?
27 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Willy (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Willy 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 310 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Willy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Willy?
About 2,900 people born in the US named Willy are alive today, with a median age of 35; half are between 21 and 56. That makes Willy mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Willy by state
How common Willy was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 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 Willy: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Willy, they share its era and feel.
Willy is also a nickname for Guillermo.
Questions about the name Willy
What does Willy mean?
Willy is a spelling of Willie, which means “pet form of William” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Willy?
Willy was the 4041st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 27 babies. Its best year was 1896, when it ranked 980th; the most babies were born in 1993 (69). Over the last ten years it has moved down 361 places. More babies were named Willy in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Willy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Willy in the US.
Where is Willy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Willy was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and California.