Total births
384,233
Boys' name · since 1880
Billy
Billy has 384,233 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1934 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1050
- among boys today
- 384,233
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Billy is the #1050 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 384,233 recorded since 1880.
Billy has 384,233 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1050 as of the latest data, more common than 93% of boys, busiest in the 1930s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1050 among boys today
- 384,233 born since 1880
- 1930s peak decade
- 93% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Billy is currently the #1050 boys' name in America, more common than 93% of boys - 384,233 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.
- #1050
- among boys today
- 384,233
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other boys
Billy vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1050
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 93% of names given to boys today.
1930s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Billy was born in this single decade.
1934
Single peak year
9,562 babies were named Billy in 1934 - its busiest year on record.
How Billy compares
384,233 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
Billy's all-time total is 1,047x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Billy | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 384,233 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 9,562 | 23 | 22,252 |
Billy's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Billy's full recorded timeline at 1953, 43% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 57% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1889, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1934 peak of 9,562 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Billy at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1934
Current rank
#1,050
Active since
1880
Billy popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1934)
- 9,562
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Billy popularity over time - girls
5,432 total births recorded since 1899 (Billy as girls' name)
Billy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1930s was Billy's strongest decade.
88,341 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Billy births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 63
1880s
63 births
- 1890s 99
1890s
99 births
- 1900s 209
1900s
209 births
- 1910s 3,016
1910s
3,016 births
- 1920s
1920s
42,096 births
- 1930s
1930s
88,341 births
- 1940s
1940s
67,833 births
- 1950s
1950s
59,277 births
- 1960s
1960s
48,472 births
- 1970s 33,217
1970s
33,217 births
- 1980s 20,650
1980s
20,650 births
- 1990s 10,942
1990s
10,942 births
- 2000s 5,670
2000s
5,670 births
- 2010s 3,099
2010s
3,099 births
- 2020s 1,249
2020s
1,249 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 88,341 births (23% of all-time use).
How Billy 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 Billy's total volume
Billy vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Billy by state
Where Billy concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 61,210 | 15.9% |
| #2 | Tennessee | | 27,927 | 7.3% |
| #3 | Oklahoma | | 23,571 | 6.1% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 23,326 | 6.1% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 22,765 | 5.9% |
| #6 | Kentucky | | 20,728 | 5.4% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 20,725 | 5.4% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 18,029 | 4.7% |
Texas share of Billy's total US births 15.9%
Even split
61,210 of 384,233 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Billy appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Billy? ▼
384,233 babies have been named Billy since 1880. It currently ranks #1050 among boys. The peak year was 1934 with 9,562 births.
When was Billy most popular? ▼
Billy was most popular in the 1930s decade with 88,341 total births. The single peak year was 1934.
Where is Billy most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Billy are Texas (61,210 births), Tennessee (27,927 births), Oklahoma (23,571 births).
How long has the name Billy been used? ▼
Records for Billy go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Billy? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bill, Billie, Bilal, Billey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Billy's data
- Billy's decade-level peak was the 1930s (88,341 total births); usage has since declined to 1,249 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Billys (61,210 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Billy
Nearby Names Like Billy
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Billy
Bill Boy
#4572 160,474 births
Billie Boy
#8317 31,637 births
Bilal Boy
#1183 5,858 births
Billey Boy
523 births
Billyjoe Boy
398 births
Compare Billy side by side: Billy vs Bill Billy vs Billie Billy vs Bilal
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Billy
Slade #1049
6,094 births · Peak 2007
Deandre #1051
29,495 births · Peak 1994
Sunny #1048
4,506 births · Peak 2024
Aslan #1052
1,720 births · Peak 2025
Ollie #1047
17,626 births · Peak 1919
Kilian #1053
2,690 births · Peak 2023
Talon #1046
12,497 births · Peak 2006
Yadiel #1054
4,226 births · Peak 2025
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. "Billy: #1050 Boys' Name - 384,233 Births, Peak 1934." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/billy. 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 Billy 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.