Total births
160,474
Boys' name · since 1880
Bill
Bill has 160,474 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4572
- among boys today
- 160,474
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other boys
160,474 babies have been named Bill since 1880, making it today's #4572 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bill has been recorded 160,474 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #4572 nationally and more common than 68% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #4572 among boys today
- 160,474 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 68% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bill is currently the #4572 boys' name in America, more common than 68% of boys - 160,474 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #4572
- among boys today
- 160,474
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other boys
Bill vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#4572
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 68% of names given to boys today.
1940s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Bill was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
4,681 babies were named Bill in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Bill compares
160,474 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bill's all-time total is 437x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bill | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 160,474 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,681 | 23 | 22,252 |
Bill's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bill's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 33% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 67%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 18 births recorded -- set against the 1947 peak of 4,681, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bill at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1947
Current rank
#4,572
Active since
1880
Bill popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 4,681
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bill popularity over time - girls
716 total births recorded since 1908 (Bill as girls' name)
Bill by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Bill's strongest decade.
37,756 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Bill births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 600
1880s
600 births
- 1890s 789
1890s
789 births
- 1900s 1,513
1900s
1,513 births
- 1910s 6,599
1910s
6,599 births
- 1920s
1920s
22,288 births
- 1930s
1930s
32,338 births
- 1940s
1940s
37,756 births
- 1950s
1950s
23,877 births
- 1960s
1960s
25,132 births
- 1970s 5,206
1970s
5,206 births
- 1980s 1,815
1980s
1,815 births
- 1990s 1,153
1990s
1,153 births
- 2000s 845
2000s
845 births
- 2010s 423
2010s
423 births
- 2020s 140
2020s
140 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 37,756 births (24% of all-time use).
How Bill compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bill's total volume
Bill vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Bill by state
Where Bill concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 17,954 | 11.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 10,901 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 9,352 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 9,077 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Oklahoma | | 7,766 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Missouri | | 7,093 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 6,687 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 5,392 | 3.4% |
California share of Bill's total US births 11.2%
Even split
17,954 of 160,474 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Bill appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bill? ▼
160,474 babies have been named Bill since 1880. It currently ranks #4572 among boys. The peak year was 1947 with 4,681 births.
When was Bill most popular? ▼
Bill was most popular in the 1940s decade with 37,756 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Bill most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bill are California (17,954 births), Texas (10,901 births), Illinois (9,352 births).
How long has the name Bill been used? ▼
Bill has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Bill? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Billy, Billie, Bilal, Billey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Bill's data
- Bill's decade-level peak was the 1940s (37,756 total births); usage has since declined to 140 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Bills (17,954 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bill
Nearby Names Like Bill
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bill
Billy Boy
#1050 384,233 births
Billie Boy
#8317 31,637 births
Bilal Boy
#1183 5,858 births
Billey Boy
523 births
Billyjoe Boy
398 births
Compare Bill side by side: Bill vs Billy Bill vs Billie Bill vs Bilal
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bill
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bill: #4572 Boys' Name - 160,474 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bill. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bill draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.