Willie
Willie was given to 147 boys in 2025, #1,322 among boys’ names; 596,385 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 199,000 Americans named Willie and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (33% of everyone recorded); the median is 68 years old and half are between 54 and 78.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Willie by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Willie mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Willie is “a diminutive of the male given name William.”
Also “a diminutive of the female given name Wilhelmina or a feminine diminutive of William, often in the form Willie Mae.”
/ˈwɪli/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Willie?
#1,322 among boys’ names, 2025
Willie fell from #774 in 2015 to #1,322 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.16 to 0.09 per 1,000.
11,071 babies in 1925, the peak
Willie peaked in 1925, when 11,071 babies were given it (7,124 boys, #27 among boys’ names). The 156 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 1% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | #10,866 | 147 | #1,322 |
| 2024 | 6 | #15,144 | 138 | #1,370 |
| 2023 | 6 | #15,076 | 144 | #1,327 |
| 2022 | 10 | #10,344 | 176 | #1,167 |
| 2021 | under 5 | 161 | #1,206 | |
| 2020 | under 5 | 215 | #995 | |
| 2019 | 5 | #17,848 | 208 | #1,008 |
| 2018 | 5 | #17,987 | 228 | #930 |
| 2017 | 5 | #18,301 | 285 | #803 |
| 2016 | under 5 | 294 | #797 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | under 5 | 307 | #774 | |
| 2014 | under 5 | 331 | #726 | |
| 2013 | 5 | #19,136 | 332 | #708 |
| 2012 | under 5 | 369 | #647 | |
| 2011 | under 5 | 390 | #615 | |
| 2010 | under 5 | 388 | #628 | |
| 2009 | 5 | #20,062 | 401 | #622 |
| 2008 | under 5 | 460 | #566 | |
| 2007 | 6 | #17,530 | 470 | #548 |
| 2006 | under 5 | 507 | #511 | |
| 2005 | under 5 | 481 | #513 | |
| 2004 | under 5 | 492 | #498 | |
| 2003 | under 5 | 559 | #453 | |
| 2002 | under 5 | 569 | #438 | |
| 2001 | under 5 | 608 | #413 | |
| 2000 | 7 | #13,101 | 610 | #407 |
| 1999 | under 5 | 668 | #385 | |
| 1998 | 8 | #11,099 | 739 | #354 |
| 1997 | 8 | #10,796 | 774 | #335 |
| 1996 | 11 | #8,117 | 800 | #328 |
| 1995 | 11 | #8,058 | 824 | #319 |
| 1994 | 17 | #5,701 | 941 | #292 |
| 1993 | 25 | #4,247 | 1,062 | #272 |
| 1992 | 22 | #4,675 | 1,212 | #237 |
| 1991 | 14 | #6,573 | 1,319 | #224 |
| 1990 | 16 | #5,824 | 1,377 | #222 |
| 1989 | 38 | #2,923 | 1,460 | #202 |
| 1988 | 35 | #2,980 | 1,427 | #191 |
| 1987 | 42 | #2,488 | 1,479 | #186 |
| 1986 | 37 | #2,678 | 1,490 | #178 |
| 1985 | 34 | #2,802 | 1,574 | #171 |
| 1984 | 54 | #1,943 | 1,606 | #166 |
| 1983 | 45 | #2,195 | 1,763 | #155 |
| 1982 | 56 | #1,921 | 1,959 | #144 |
| 1981 | 54 | #1,982 | 1,967 | #141 |
| 1980 | 63 | #1,765 | 2,167 | #130 |
| 1979 | 61 | #1,794 | 2,153 | #125 |
| 1978 | 67 | #1,613 | 2,135 | #121 |
| 1977 | 62 | #1,699 | 2,163 | #124 |
| 1976 | 83 | #1,315 | 2,132 | #121 |
| 1975 | 89 | #1,268 | 2,174 | #118 |
| 1974 | 105 | #1,114 | 2,223 | #119 |
| 1973 | 119 | #1,000 | 2,391 | #109 |
| 1972 | 131 | #943 | 2,596 | #109 |
| 1971 | 137 | #943 | 2,862 | #115 |
| 1970 | 167 | #826 | 3,137 | #103 |
| 1969 | 195 | #721 | 3,048 | #101 |
| 1968 | 205 | #682 | 3,109 | #96 |
| 1967 | 241 | #614 | 3,391 | #92 |
| 1966 | 280 | #570 | 3,546 | #93 |
| 1965 | 334 | #522 | 3,807 | #93 |
| 1964 | 406 | #479 | 4,148 | #90 |
| 1963 | 407 | #479 | 4,194 | #93 |
| 1962 | 469 | #444 | 4,541 | #89 |
| 1961 | 504 | #440 | 4,790 | #86 |
| 1960 | 590 | #392 | 5,238 | #81 |
| 1959 | 632 | #379 | 5,374 | #78 |
| 1958 | 698 | #347 | 5,693 | #70 |
| 1957 | 785 | #326 | 6,211 | #63 |
| 1956 | 931 | #290 | 6,525 | #58 |
| 1955 | 933 | #283 | 6,629 | #54 |
| 1954 | 1,111 | #243 | 6,832 | #53 |
| 1953 | 1,157 | #236 | 7,056 | #49 |
| 1952 | 1,198 | #228 | 7,197 | #48 |
| 1951 | 1,276 | #215 | 7,226 | #45 |
| 1950 | 1,338 | #201 | 7,717 | #42 |
| 1949 | 1,532 | #179 | 7,916 | #41 |
| 1948 | 1,667 | #168 | 7,971 | #40 |
| 1947 | 1,683 | #173 | 7,997 | #42 |
| 1946 | 1,687 | #159 | 7,339 | #40 |
| 1945 | 1,777 | #137 | 7,030 | #31 |
| 1944 | 1,894 | #138 | 7,195 | #31 |
| 1943 | 1,994 | #139 | 7,178 | #36 |
| 1942 | 2,067 | #133 | 7,094 | #37 |
| 1941 | 1,860 | #136 | 6,526 | #36 |
| 1940 | 1,937 | #128 | 6,176 | #35 |
| 1939 | 1,952 | #126 | 6,308 | #33 |
| 1938 | 2,019 | #121 | 6,081 | #34 |
| 1937 | 2,194 | #114 | 6,231 | #32 |
| 1936 | 2,224 | #108 | 6,011 | #32 |
| 1935 | 2,370 | #99 | 6,327 | #30 |
| 1934 | 2,388 | #102 | 6,348 | #30 |
| 1933 | 2,449 | #93 | 5,983 | #32 |
| 1932 | 2,662 | #91 | 6,547 | #31 |
| 1931 | 2,597 | #93 | 5,963 | #31 |
| 1930 | 3,018 | #87 | 6,667 | #29 |
| 1929 | 3,318 | #76 | 6,616 | #29 |
| 1928 | 3,444 | #74 | 6,817 | #29 |
| 1927 | 3,884 | #71 | 6,969 | #27 |
| 1926 | 3,817 | #73 | 6,820 | #28 |
| 1925 | 3,947 | #68 | 7,124 | #27 |
| 1924 | 3,992 | #68 | 6,700 | #30 |
| 1923 | 3,963 | #67 | 6,665 | #30 |
| 1922 | 3,885 | #70 | 6,903 | #28 |
| 1921 | 3,748 | #74 | 6,492 | #34 |
| 1920 | 3,816 | #74 | 6,887 | #29 |
| 1919 | 4,051 | #61 | 6,942 | #23 |
| 1918 | 3,867 | #70 | 6,537 | #29 |
| 1917 | 3,381 | #72 | 5,751 | #31 |
| 1916 | 3,116 | #73 | 5,660 | #30 |
| 1915 | 3,041 | #72 | 5,434 | #30 |
| 1914 | 2,759 | #66 | 4,709 | #25 |
| 1913 | 2,264 | #65 | 3,760 | #24 |
| 1912 | 2,267 | #61 | 3,508 | #22 |
| 1911 | 1,637 | #61 | 2,492 | #14 |
| 1910 | 1,796 | #56 | 2,897 | #11 |
| 1909 | 1,549 | #54 | 2,175 | #13 |
| 1908 | 1,371 | #59 | 1,964 | #13 |
| 1907 | 1,394 | #56 | 1,968 | #13 |
| 1906 | 1,233 | #59 | 1,756 | #13 |
| 1905 | 1,285 | #59 | 1,782 | #13 |
| 1904 | 1,188 | #61 | 1,675 | #14 |
| 1903 | 1,014 | #67 | 1,454 | #14 |
| 1902 | 1,071 | #64 | 1,565 | #14 |
| 1901 | 901 | #68 | 1,294 | #16 |
| 1900 | 1,351 | #58 | 2,113 | #14 |
| 1899 | 806 | #73 | 1,088 | #18 |
| 1898 | 878 | #71 | 1,134 | #18 |
| 1897 | 818 | #70 | 1,151 | #18 |
| 1896 | 755 | #76 | 1,092 | #18 |
| 1895 | 724 | #78 | 1,071 | #18 |
| 1894 | 709 | #75 | 986 | #19 |
| 1893 | 648 | #77 | 882 | #19 |
| 1892 | 631 | #78 | 948 | #19 |
| 1891 | 562 | #78 | 739 | #21 |
| 1890 | 578 | #77 | 758 | #23 |
| 1889 | 488 | #85 | 708 | #26 |
| 1888 | 522 | #79 | 786 | #24 |
| 1887 | 379 | #88 | 590 | #27 |
| 1886 | 388 | #88 | 641 | #28 |
| 1885 | 312 | #95 | 614 | #29 |
| 1884 | 332 | #93 | 578 | #31 |
| 1883 | 264 | #96 | 474 | #34 |
| 1882 | 291 | #89 | 541 | #31 |
| 1881 | 229 | #94 | 498 | #30 |
| 1880 | 192 | #105 | 476 | #34 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Willie a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 596,385 Americans recorded as Willie, 25% are girls and 75% boys. In 2025 it went to 9 girls and 147 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Willie: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Willie, and how old are they?
199,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 33% of the 596,385 Americans ever recorded as Willie. The median Willie alive today is 68 years old; half are between 54 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 156,156 people named Willie (22,603 women and girls, 133,553 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 242,414 born in the U.S. The Census count is 36% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 34,300 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 91,400 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 39,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 21,600 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 8,370 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 2,990 |
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 Willie born?
The states with the most babies named Willie are Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, with 39% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Alabama and Mississippi are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 78,345 | #1,085 | 4.9× |
| Alabama | 65,195 | #763 | 4.8× |
| Mississippi | 64,870 | #466 | 6.4× |
| Texas | 43,867 | #1,646 | 1.4× |
| South Carolina | 42,601 | not ranked | 4.1× |
| North Carolina | 36,830 | not ranked | 2.1× |
| Florida | 30,319 | #908 | 2.9× |
| Louisiana | 29,975 | #665 | 2.7× |
| Tennessee | 24,788 | #770 | 1.9× |
| Arkansas | 20,777 | not ranked | 2.4× |
Where Willie is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Willie is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 6.4 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 Willie 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 6 names spelled alike, given to 608,136 babies since 1880, Willie is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 156 of their 423 babies (37%), the second most given that year.
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.
More about Willie and names like it
- Compare Willie and WylieBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sWillie peaked in 1925.
- Georgia’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Willie since 1910.
- The top names of 1925The year the most babies were named Willie.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Willie alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with WMost given first.