Will
Will was given to 170 boys in 2025, #1,195 among boys’ names; 46,610 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 19,800 Americans named Will and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (43% of everyone recorded); the median is 31 years old and half are between 19 and 53.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Will by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Will mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Will is “a diminutive of the male given name William or, less often, other given names beginning with Wil-, such as Wilfred or Willard, from the Germanic languages; also used as a formal given name.”
Also “a diminutive of the female given name Willow.”
Clipping of William or Willow, less often, other given names beginning with Wil-, such as Wilfred or Willard.
/wɪl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Will?
#1,195 among boys’ names, 2025
Will fell from #835 in 2015 to #1,195 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.14 to 0.10 per 1,000.
712 babies in 1888, the peak
Will peaked in 1888, when 712 babies were given it (707 boys, #28 among boys’ names). The 170 births of 2025 are 24% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 170 | #1,195 | 0.10 |
| 2024 | 153 | #1,289 | 0.09 |
| 2023 | 185 | #1,139 | 0.11 |
| 2022 | 178 | #1,162 | 0.10 |
| 2021 | 200 | #1,070 | 0.11 |
| 2020 | 235 | #941 | 0.14 |
| 2019 | 217 | #983 | 0.12 |
| 2018 | 242 | #897 | 0.13 |
| 2017 | 239 | #900 | 0.13 |
| 2016 | 277 | #825 | 0.15 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 270 | #835 | 0.14 |
| 2014 | 313 | #755 | 0.16 |
| 2013 | 315 | #741 | 0.17 |
| 2012 | 352 | #674 | 0.19 |
| 2011 | 357 | #664 | 0.19 |
| 2010 | 396 | #623 | 0.21 |
| 2009 | 457 | #577 | 0.23 |
| 2008 | 432 | #585 | 0.21 |
| 2007 | 457 | #564 | 0.22 |
| 2006 | 473 | #534 | 0.23 |
| 2005 | 503 | #494 | 0.25 |
| 2004 | 452 | #528 | 0.23 |
| 2003 | 433 | #535 | 0.22 |
| 2002 | 403 | #549 | 0.21 |
| 2001 | 389 | #550 | 0.20 |
| 2000 | 447 | #510 | 0.23 |
| 1999 | 422 | #506 | 0.22 |
| 1998 | 339 | #578 | 0.18 |
| 1997 | 268 | #634 | 0.14 |
| 1996 | 280 | #622 | 0.15 |
| 1995 | 266 | #636 | 0.14 |
| 1994 | 248 | #659 | 0.13 |
| 1993 | 268 | #628 | 0.14 |
| 1992 | 252 | #651 | 0.13 |
| 1991 | 295 | #591 | 0.15 |
| 1990 | 289 | #589 | 0.14 |
| 1989 | 277 | #589 | 0.14 |
| 1988 | 241 | #610 | 0.13 |
| 1987 | 233 | #597 | 0.12 |
| 1986 | 204 | #627 | 0.11 |
| 1985 | 201 | #618 | 0.11 |
| 1984 | 204 | #595 | 0.11 |
| 1983 | 223 | #566 | 0.12 |
| 1982 | 262 | #529 | 0.14 |
| 1981 | 233 | #561 | 0.13 |
| 1980 | 271 | #519 | 0.15 |
| 1979 | 273 | #507 | 0.16 |
| 1978 | 232 | #546 | 0.14 |
| 1977 | 226 | #558 | 0.14 |
| 1976 | 224 | #539 | 0.14 |
| 1975 | 224 | #537 | 0.14 |
| 1974 | 224 | #535 | 0.14 |
| 1973 | 207 | #546 | 0.13 |
| 1972 | 185 | #587 | 0.11 |
| 1971 | 207 | #565 | 0.12 |
| 1970 | 230 | #533 | 0.12 |
| 1969 | 192 | #567 | 0.11 |
| 1968 | 213 | #521 | 0.12 |
| 1967 | 167 | #586 | 0.10 |
| 1966 | 205 | #532 | 0.11 |
| 1965 | 196 | #547 | 0.11 |
| 1964 | 235 | #512 | 0.12 |
| 1963 | 242 | #515 | 0.12 |
| 1962 | 200 | #559 | 0.10 |
| 1961 | 225 | #529 | 0.11 |
| 1960 | 225 | #530 | 0.11 |
| 1959 | 207 | #546 | 0.10 |
| 1958 | 183 | #572 | 0.09 |
| 1957 | 217 | #524 | 0.10 |
| 1956 | 192 | #549 | 0.09 |
| 1955 | 158 | #583 | 0.08 |
| 1954 | 207 | #503 | 0.10 |
| 1953 | 209 | #486 | 0.11 |
| 1952 | 211 | #483 | 0.11 |
| 1951 | 191 | #490 | 0.10 |
| 1950 | 224 | #444 | 0.13 |
| 1949 | 220 | #448 | 0.12 |
| 1948 | 238 | #434 | 0.14 |
| 1947 | 209 | #467 | 0.11 |
| 1946 | 207 | #443 | 0.13 |
| 1945 | 191 | #432 | 0.14 |
| 1944 | 235 | #397 | 0.17 |
| 1943 | 205 | #440 | 0.14 |
| 1942 | 221 | #413 | 0.16 |
| 1941 | 226 | #382 | 0.18 |
| 1940 | 209 | #396 | 0.18 |
| 1939 | 226 | #378 | 0.20 |
| 1938 | 231 | #372 | 0.21 |
| 1937 | 230 | #355 | 0.22 |
| 1936 | 233 | #354 | 0.22 |
| 1935 | 305 | #311 | 0.29 |
| 1934 | 215 | #370 | 0.21 |
| 1933 | 224 | #362 | 0.23 |
| 1932 | 242 | #359 | 0.23 |
| 1931 | 237 | #366 | 0.23 |
| 1930 | 259 | #356 | 0.24 |
| 1929 | 277 | #333 | 0.26 |
| 1928 | 323 | #313 | 0.29 |
| 1927 | 300 | #331 | 0.27 |
| 1926 | 333 | #311 | 0.30 |
| 1925 | 367 | #299 | 0.33 |
| 1924 | 354 | #304 | 0.31 |
| 1923 | 370 | #291 | 0.34 |
| 1922 | 358 | #302 | 0.33 |
| 1921 | 373 | #291 | 0.34 |
| 1920 | 368 | #294 | 0.35 |
| 1919 | 373 | #273 | 0.38 |
| 1918 | 363 | #280 | 0.36 |
| 1917 | 339 | #282 | 0.37 |
| 1916 | 362 | #263 | 0.41 |
| 1915 | 362 | #249 | 0.43 |
| 1914 | 319 | #239 | 0.49 |
| 1913 | 280 | #224 | 0.55 |
| 1912 | 256 | #214 | 0.60 |
| 1911 | 230 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1910 | 278 | #113 | 1.4 |
| 1909 | 267 | #100 | 1.6 |
| 1908 | 274 | #96 | 1.8 |
| 1907 | 260 | #97 | 1.8 |
| 1906 | 253 | #92 | 1.9 |
| 1905 | 286 | #86 | 2.2 |
| 1904 | 287 | #81 | 2.2 |
| 1903 | 293 | #75 | 2.5 |
| 1902 | 359 | #64 | 2.9 |
| 1901 | 364 | #53 | 3.4 |
| 1900 | 603 | #43 | 4.0 |
| 1899 | 414 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1898 | 475 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1897 | 491 | #44 | 4.4 |
| 1896 | 508 | #44 | 4.2 |
| 1895 | 485 | #44 | 4.1 |
| 1894 | 559 | #39 | 4.8 |
| 1893 | 538 | #37 | 4.8 |
| 1892 | 607 | #34 | 5.0 |
| 1891 | 520 | #34 | 5.1 |
| 1890 | 613 | #30 | 5.5 |
| 1889 | 631 | #30 | 5.7 |
| 1888 | 707 | #28 | 5.9 |
| 1887 | 561 | #30 | 5.5 |
| 1886 | 642 | #27 | 5.8 |
| 1885 | 625 | #27 | 5.8 |
| 1884 | 650 | #28 | 5.7 |
| 1883 | 576 | #29 | 5.5 |
| 1882 | 666 | #25 | 5.9 |
| 1881 | 550 | #26 | 5.5 |
| 1880 | 588 | #27 | 5.3 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Will a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 46,610 Americans recorded as Will, 1% are girls and 99% boys. In 2025 it went to 170 boys; SSA lists no girls with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Will: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Will, and how old are they?
19,800 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 43% of the 46,610 Americans ever recorded as Will. The median Will alive today is 31 years old; half are between 19 and 53.
The 2020 Census counted 44,843 people named Will (372 women and girls, 44,471 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 20,079 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2.2 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census records the name people give, which for many is the short form Will rather than the name on their birth record, and it counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 819 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 2,670 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,080 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,780 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 6,470 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 2,970 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Will born?
The states with the most babies named Will are Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, with 29% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Mississippi and Alabama are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 3,003 | #1,752 | 1.3× |
| Mississippi | 2,427 | not ranked | 5.0× |
| Alabama | 2,102 | not ranked | 3.2× |
| Georgia | 1,874 | #1,543 | 1.9× |
| California | 1,805 | #1,193 | 0.6× |
| Tennessee | 1,676 | #1,181 | 2.3× |
| Louisiana | 1,121 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| North Carolina | 1,092 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 1,034 | #1,129 | 0.6× |
| Florida | 878 | #1,348 | 0.8× |
Where Will is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Will is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 5.0 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Will with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 47,704 babies since 1880, Will is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 170 of their 175 babies (97%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Will
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Will and names like it
- Compare Will and WilBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1880sWill peaked in 1888.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Will since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Will: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1888The year the most babies were named Will.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Will alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with WMost given first.