William vs Mary

Side-by-side comparison of William and Mary — 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

Mary

Girl name · Rank #132

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Which name is more popular?

Metric William Mary
Current Rank #10 #132
Total Births (all years) 4,189,004 4,139,160
Peak Year 1947 1921
Peak Year Births 67,001 73,984
Peak Decade 1950ss 1920ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade William Mary
1880ss 84,881 91,668
1890ss 72,244 131,138
1900ss 69,320 161,504
1910ss 303,018 478,636
1920ss 512,402 701,756
1930ss 416,728 572,997
1940ss 556,469 640,070
1950ss 591,226 625,609
1960ss 421,411 355,238
1970ss 283,415 126,254
1980ss 248,286 95,862
1990ss 217,818 75,713
2000ss 194,404 46,310
2010ss 159,945 25,683
2020ss 57,437 10,722

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year William Mary
2014 16,847 2,636
2015 15,945 2,642
2016 15,808 2,526
2017 15,042 2,424
2018 14,645 2,369
2019 13,649 2,239
2020 12,673 2,229
2021 12,166 2,100
2022 11,349 2,116
2023 10,653 2,081
2024 10,596 2,196

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.

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