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

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Name B

Emily

Girl name · Rank #25

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Which name is more popular?

Metric William Emily
Current Rank #10 #25
Total Births (all years) 4,199,696 896,487
Peak Year 1947 1999
Peak Year Births 67,002 26,542
Peak Decade 1950s 1990s
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade William Emily
1880s 84,881 3,368
1890s 72,244 5,476
1900s 69,320 6,423
1910s 303,017 17,069
1920s 512,402 18,754
1930s 416,730 11,916
1940s 556,478 13,409
1950s 591,228 12,839
1960s 421,433 12,332
1970s 283,401 46,839
1980s 248,277 131,764
1990s 217,822 237,262
2000s 194,415 223,768
2010s 159,981 117,646
2020s 68,067 37,622

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year William Emily
2014 16,851 12,670
2015 15,950 11,808
2016 15,810 11,006
2017 15,046 9,817
2018 14,646 8,718
2019 13,658 8,259
2020 12,676 6,918
2021 12,170 6,594
2022 11,356 6,498
2023 10,673 6,177
2024 10,647 5,984
2025 10,545 5,451

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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