Unisex name · since 1915

Willet

Willet has 94 recorded births since 1915 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1926 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#17,855 of 45,481
all-time among boys
94
born since 1915
1920s
peak decade

Willet is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 94 have been recorded since 1915.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Willet has been recorded 94 times among boys since 1915, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 1940.

  • #17,855 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 94 born since 1915
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Willet ranks #17,855 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 94 born since 1915, peaking in the 1920s.

#17,855 of 45,481
all-time among boys
94
born since 1915
1920s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Willet's 94 recorded births place it above 60.73% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Willet's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Willet splits its recorded history at 1926: 54% of all births land in the more recent half, 46% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1916 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1926 peak of 9 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Willet popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–1940

Last recorded 1940
Peak year (1926)
9
Annual births at peak, across 26 years of records
45678910 19151917192319251928193419361940 5

Willet popularity over time - girls

6 total births recorded since 1922 (Willet as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 6 births
6 1922 6

Willet by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (38 births, 40% of the file).

1920s was Willet's strongest decade.

38 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.

Willet births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 38 births (40% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Willet? ▼
94 babies have been named Willet since 1915. All-time, it sits at #17,855 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. It was last recorded in 1940. The peak year was 1926 with 9 births.
Where does Willet sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Willet ranks #17,855 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Willet most popular? ▼
Willet was most popular in the 1920s decade with 38 total births. The single peak year was 1926.
Is Willet a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Willet is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 94 births, and as a girl's name it has 6 births.
How long has the name Willet been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Willet since 1915 -- 26 years through the most recent 1940 data.
What names are similar to Willet? ▼
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 Willet's data

  • Willet's decade-level peak was the 1920s (38 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1940s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Willet

Nearby Names Like Willet

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Willet

William Boy
#9 4,199,696 births
Willie Boy
#1315 450,188 births
Willard Boy
#2718 77,658 births
Wilbur Boy
#3950 56,906 births
Willis Boy
#2539 52,336 births

Compare Willet side by side: Willet vs William Willet vs Willie Willet vs Willard

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Ran
94 births · Peak 1979
Adalbert
94 births · Peak 1915
Enio
94 births · Peak 2008
Beryle
94 births · Peak 1918
Toshiyuki
94 births · Peak 1923
Osamu
94 births · Peak 1925
Cassell
94 births · Peak 1922
Mardell
94 births · Peak 1979

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Willet: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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, 1915–1940 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

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 Willet 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 August 2026.