William vs Emily

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

Name A

William

Boy name · Rank #10

Full profile →
Name B

Emily

Girl name · Rank #25

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric William Emily
Current Rank #10 #25
Total Births (all years) 4,189,004 890,970
Peak Year 1947 1999
Peak Year Births 67,001 26,542
Peak Decade 1950ss 1990ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade William Emily
1880ss 84,881 3,368
1890ss 72,244 5,476
1900ss 69,320 6,423
1910ss 303,018 17,069
1920ss 512,402 18,754
1930ss 416,728 11,916
1940ss 556,469 13,409
1950ss 591,226 12,840
1960ss 421,411 12,334
1970ss 283,415 46,843
1980ss 248,286 131,770
1990ss 217,818 237,260
2000ss 194,404 223,755
2010ss 159,945 117,626
2020ss 57,437 32,127

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year William Emily
2014 16,847 12,667
2015 15,945 11,806
2016 15,808 11,004
2017 15,042 9,813
2018 14,645 8,716
2019 13,649 8,256
2020 12,673 6,914
2021 12,166 6,591
2022 11,349 6,495
2023 10,653 6,172
2024 10,596 5,955

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, 1880–2024.

← Compare different names