Boys' name · since 1880
Williams
Williams has 6,126 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1950 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,565 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,039 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,126
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
6,126 babies have been named Williams since 1880, making it today's #3039 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Williams has been recorded 6,126 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #3039 nationally and more common than 78% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. 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.
- #1,565 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,039 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 6,126 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Williams ranks #1,565 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,039 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 6,126 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1,565 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,039 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,126
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Williams's 6,126 recorded births place it above 96.55% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
16 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Mississippi.
How Williams compares
6,126 Top 11% higher than 89% of 13,930 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
Williams's all-time total is 17x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Williams | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,126 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 86 | 34 | 22,252 |
Williams's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Williams's full recorded timeline at 1953, 57% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 43% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1889, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1950 peak of 86 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Williams popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1950)
- 86
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Williams popularity over time - girls
24 total births recorded since 1958 (Williams as girls' name)
Williams by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (606 births, 10% of the file).
1950s was Williams's strongest decade.
606 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 10% of all-time use.
Williams births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 101
1880s
101 births
- 1890s 106
1890s
106 births
- 1900s 134
1900s
134 births
- 1910s
1910s
386 births
- 1920s
1920s
603 births
- 1930s
1930s
547 births
- 1940s
1940s
573 births
- 1950s
1950s
606 births
- 1960s
1960s
510 births
- 1970s
1970s
404 births
- 1980s
1980s
383 births
- 1990s
1990s
494 births
- 2000s
2000s
580 births
- 2010s
2010s
426 births
- 2020s
2020s
273 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 606 births (10% of all-time use).
How Williams 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 Williams's total volume
Williams by state
Where Williams concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mississippi | | 381 | 6.2% |
| #2 | California | | 361 | 5.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 345 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 311 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 198 | 3.2% |
| #6 | Florida | | 179 | 2.9% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 166 | 2.7% |
| #8 | New York | | 155 | 2.5% |
381 of 6,126 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 16 reporting states.
Williams appears in 16 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Williams? ▼
Where does Williams sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Williams most popular? ▼
Where is Williams most popular? ▼
How long has the name Williams been used? ▼
What names are similar to Williams? ▼
What to do with Williams's data
- Williams's usage has stayed within range of its 1950s decade-level peak (606 total births) through the 2020s (273) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Mississippi records the most Williamss (381 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Mississippi names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Williams
Nearby Names Like Williams
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Williams
Compare Williams side by side: Williams vs William Williams vs Willie Williams vs Willard
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Williams
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Williams: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1950)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
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, 1880–2025 (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 Williams 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.