Will vs William

Side-by-side comparison of Will and William - popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Will

Boy name · Rank #1286

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Name B

William

Boy name · Rank #10

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Will William
Current Rank #1286 #10
Total Births (all years) 45,952 4,199,696
Peak Year 1888 1947
Peak Year Births 707 67,002
Peak Decade 1880s 1950s
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Will William
1880s 6,196 84,881
1890s 5,210 72,244
1900s 3,246 69,320
1910s 3,162 303,017
1920s 3,423 512,402
1930s 2,402 416,730
1940s 2,161 556,478
1950s 1,999 591,228
1960s 2,100 421,433
1970s 2,232 283,401
1980s 2,349 248,277
1990s 2,927 217,822
2000s 4,446 194,415
2010s 2,978 159,981
2020s 1,121 68,067

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Will William
2014 313 16,851
2015 270 15,950
2016 277 15,810
2017 239 15,046
2018 242 14,646
2019 217 13,658
2020 235 12,676
2021 200 12,170
2022 178 11,356
2023 185 10,673
2024 153 10,647
2025 170 10,545

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2025.

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