Total births
45,952
Boys' name · since 1880
Will
Will has 45,952 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1888 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1286
- among boys today
- 45,952
- born since 1880
- 1880s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other boys
45,952 babies have been named Will since 1880, making it today's #1286 boys' name.
Will has 45,952 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1286 as of the latest data, more common than 91% of boys, busiest in the 1880s -- 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.
- #1286 among boys today
- 45,952 born since 1880
- 1880s peak decade
- 91% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Will is currently the #1286 boys' name in America, more common than 91% of boys - 45,952 born since 1880, peaking in the 1880s.
- #1286
- among boys today
- 45,952
- born since 1880
- 1880s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other boys
Will vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1286
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 91% of names given to boys today.
1880s
Peak decade
13% of everyone ever named Will was born in this single decade.
1888
Single peak year
707 babies were named Will in 1888 - its busiest year on record.
How Will compares
45,952 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Will's all-time total is 125x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Will | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 45,952 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 707 | 23 | 22,252 |
Will's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Will's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 42% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 58%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2024, with only 153 births recorded -- set against the 1888 peak of 707, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Will at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1888
Current rank
#1,286
Active since
1880
Will popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1888)
- 707
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Will popularity over time - girls
658 total births recorded since 1881 (Will as girls' name)
Will by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1880s was Will's strongest decade.
6,196 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.
Will births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
6,196 births
- 1890s
1890s
5,210 births
- 1900s
1900s
3,246 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,162 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,423 births
- 1930s 2,402
1930s
2,402 births
- 1940s 2,161
1940s
2,161 births
- 1950s 1,999
1950s
1,999 births
- 1960s 2,100
1960s
2,100 births
- 1970s 2,232
1970s
2,232 births
- 1980s 2,349
1980s
2,349 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,927 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,446 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,978 births
- 2020s 1,121
2020s
1,121 births
What this shows Peak: 1880s at 6,196 births (13% of all-time use).
How Will 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 Will's total volume
Will vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Will by state
Where Will concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,986 | 6.5% |
| #2 | Mississippi | | 2,406 | 5.2% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 2,096 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 1,863 | 4.1% |
| #5 | California | | 1,805 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 1,666 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 1,121 | 2.4% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 1,092 | 2.4% |
Texas share of Will's total US births 6.5%
Even split
2,986 of 45,952 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Will appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Will? ▼
Will has been given to 45,952 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #1286 as of the latest data. 707 babies were born in 1888, its single highest year.
When was Will most popular? ▼
Will was most popular in the 1880s decade with 6,196 total births. The single peak year was 1888.
Where is Will most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Will are Texas (2,986 births), Mississippi (2,406 births), Alabama (2,096 births).
How long has the name Will been used? ▼
Will has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Will? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include William, Willie, Willard, Wilbur, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Will's data
- Will's decade-level peak was the 1880s (6,196 total births); usage has since declined to 1,121 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Wills (2,986 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 Will
Nearby Names Like Will
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Will
William Boy
#10 4,199,696 births
Willie Boy
#1364 450,188 births
Willard Boy
#2958 77,658 births
Wilbur Boy
#2959 56,906 births
Willis Boy
#2638 52,336 births
Compare Will side by side: Will vs William Will vs Willie Will vs Willard
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Will
Lahiam #1285
266 births · Peak 2024
Ansel #1287
4,801 births · Peak 2025
Xavi #1284
2,486 births · Peak 2011
Graysen #1288
4,384 births · Peak 2016
Draco #1283
1,424 births · Peak 2021
Karsyn #1289
2,898 births · Peak 2020
Amadeus #1282
1,720 births · Peak 2024
Ulysses #1290
18,655 births · Peak 1999
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. "Will: #1286 Boys' Name - 45,952 Births, Peak 1888." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/will. 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 Will 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.