Willis
Willis was given to 52 boys in 2025, #2,567 among boys’ names; 53,154 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 16,000 Americans named Willis and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (30% of everyone recorded); the median is 62 years old and half are between 43 and 76.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Willis by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Willis mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Willis is “a male given name transferred from the surname.”
/ˈwɪlɪs/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Willis?
#2,567 among boys’ names, 2025
Willis fell from #1,979 in 2015 to #2,567 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 38.6 to 30.4 per million.
1,276 babies in 1924, the peak
Willis peaked in 1924, when 1,276 babies were given it (1,261 boys, #136 among boys’ names). The 52 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52 | #2,567 | 0.03 |
| 2024 | 50 | #2,672 | 0.03 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2,342 | 0.04 |
| 2022 | 44 | #2,916 | 0.03 |
| 2021 | 62 | #2,273 | 0.04 |
| 2020 | 62 | #2,234 | 0.04 |
| 2019 | 50 | #2,622 | 0.03 |
| 2018 | 55 | #2,415 | 0.03 |
| 2017 | 51 | #2,529 | 0.03 |
| 2016 | 70 | #2,046 | 0.04 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 74 | #1,979 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 81 | #1,843 | 0.04 |
| 2013 | 75 | #1,899 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 78 | #1,877 | 0.04 |
| 2011 | 74 | #1,902 | 0.04 |
| 2010 | 52 | #2,426 | 0.03 |
| 2009 | 66 | #2,097 | 0.03 |
| 2008 | 59 | #2,262 | 0.03 |
| 2007 | 80 | #1,828 | 0.04 |
| 2006 | 79 | #1,768 | 0.04 |
| 2005 | 66 | #1,937 | 0.03 |
| 2004 | 65 | #1,905 | 0.03 |
| 2003 | 78 | #1,626 | 0.04 |
| 2002 | 70 | #1,690 | 0.04 |
| 2001 | 82 | #1,497 | 0.04 |
| 2000 | 107 | #1,243 | 0.05 |
| 1999 | 109 | #1,185 | 0.06 |
| 1998 | 106 | #1,173 | 0.06 |
| 1997 | 95 | #1,230 | 0.05 |
| 1996 | 113 | #1,076 | 0.06 |
| 1995 | 115 | #1,039 | 0.06 |
| 1994 | 119 | #1,017 | 0.06 |
| 1993 | 127 | #955 | 0.06 |
| 1992 | 126 | #957 | 0.06 |
| 1991 | 163 | #810 | 0.08 |
| 1990 | 159 | #804 | 0.08 |
| 1989 | 166 | #768 | 0.08 |
| 1988 | 183 | #693 | 0.10 |
| 1987 | 169 | #704 | 0.09 |
| 1986 | 176 | #682 | 0.10 |
| 1985 | 186 | #643 | 0.10 |
| 1984 | 186 | #626 | 0.10 |
| 1983 | 203 | #603 | 0.11 |
| 1982 | 227 | #571 | 0.13 |
| 1981 | 199 | #607 | 0.11 |
| 1980 | 228 | #573 | 0.13 |
| 1979 | 233 | #564 | 0.14 |
| 1978 | 214 | #573 | 0.13 |
| 1977 | 232 | #549 | 0.14 |
| 1976 | 181 | #610 | 0.12 |
| 1975 | 203 | #567 | 0.13 |
| 1974 | 199 | #569 | 0.13 |
| 1973 | 193 | #572 | 0.12 |
| 1972 | 245 | #505 | 0.15 |
| 1971 | 253 | #514 | 0.14 |
| 1970 | 260 | #501 | 0.14 |
| 1969 | 227 | #518 | 0.13 |
| 1968 | 230 | #499 | 0.13 |
| 1967 | 237 | #486 | 0.14 |
| 1966 | 254 | #482 | 0.14 |
| 1965 | 300 | #449 | 0.16 |
| 1964 | 324 | #445 | 0.16 |
| 1963 | 340 | #432 | 0.17 |
| 1962 | 375 | #415 | 0.18 |
| 1961 | 357 | #419 | 0.17 |
| 1960 | 414 | #389 | 0.19 |
| 1959 | 407 | #395 | 0.19 |
| 1958 | 416 | #383 | 0.20 |
| 1957 | 447 | #361 | 0.21 |
| 1956 | 444 | #349 | 0.21 |
| 1955 | 452 | #342 | 0.22 |
| 1954 | 447 | #336 | 0.22 |
| 1953 | 480 | #322 | 0.24 |
| 1952 | 513 | #314 | 0.26 |
| 1951 | 504 | #310 | 0.27 |
| 1950 | 476 | #313 | 0.27 |
| 1949 | 479 | #310 | 0.27 |
| 1948 | 584 | #279 | 0.33 |
| 1947 | 600 | #279 | 0.33 |
| 1946 | 584 | #259 | 0.36 |
| 1945 | 579 | #231 | 0.43 |
| 1944 | 623 | #219 | 0.46 |
| 1943 | 752 | #208 | 0.53 |
| 1942 | 666 | #220 | 0.48 |
| 1941 | 685 | #201 | 0.56 |
| 1940 | 609 | #209 | 0.53 |
| 1939 | 693 | #191 | 0.63 |
| 1938 | 731 | #187 | 0.66 |
| 1937 | 724 | #184 | 0.68 |
| 1936 | 768 | #175 | 0.74 |
| 1935 | 789 | #173 | 0.76 |
| 1934 | 867 | #166 | 0.84 |
| 1933 | 812 | #170 | 0.82 |
| 1932 | 911 | #165 | 0.87 |
| 1931 | 931 | #161 | 0.90 |
| 1930 | 965 | #159 | 0.88 |
| 1929 | 1,030 | #150 | 1.0 |
| 1928 | 1,085 | #148 | 1.0 |
| 1927 | 1,058 | #150 | 0.94 |
| 1926 | 1,233 | #140 | 1.1 |
| 1925 | 1,198 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1924 | 1,261 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1923 | 1,183 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1922 | 1,250 | #133 | 1.1 |
| 1921 | 1,209 | #133 | 1.1 |
| 1920 | 1,197 | #133 | 1.1 |
| 1919 | 1,136 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1918 | 1,091 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1917 | 954 | #140 | 1.0 |
| 1916 | 990 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1915 | 950 | #137 | 1.1 |
| 1914 | 743 | #135 | 1.1 |
| 1913 | 573 | #136 | 1.1 |
| 1912 | 453 | #142 | 1.1 |
| 1911 | 233 | #144 | 1.0 |
| 1910 | 216 | #149 | 1.1 |
| 1909 | 189 | #139 | 1.2 |
| 1908 | 161 | #146 | 1.0 |
| 1907 | 146 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1906 | 148 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1905 | 136 | #153 | 1.0 |
| 1904 | 136 | #144 | 1.1 |
| 1903 | 133 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1902 | 144 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 1901 | 106 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1900 | 169 | #134 | 1.1 |
| 1899 | 126 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1898 | 121 | #144 | 1.0 |
| 1897 | 132 | #125 | 1.2 |
| 1896 | 145 | #123 | 1.2 |
| 1895 | 135 | #125 | 1.1 |
| 1894 | 133 | #118 | 1.1 |
| 1893 | 149 | #113 | 1.3 |
| 1892 | 143 | #119 | 1.2 |
| 1891 | 118 | #117 | 1.2 |
| 1890 | 129 | #118 | 1.2 |
| 1889 | 124 | #115 | 1.1 |
| 1888 | 135 | #119 | 1.1 |
| 1887 | 113 | #117 | 1.1 |
| 1886 | 150 | #104 | 1.4 |
| 1885 | 133 | #106 | 1.2 |
| 1884 | 151 | #101 | 1.3 |
| 1883 | 131 | #103 | 1.3 |
| 1882 | 143 | #104 | 1.3 |
| 1881 | 142 | #93 | 1.4 |
| 1880 | 166 | #86 | 1.5 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Willis a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 53,154 Americans recorded as Willis, 2% are girls and 98% boys. In 2025 it went to 52 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 Willis: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Willis, and how old are they?
16,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 30% of the 53,154 Americans ever recorded as Willis. The median Willis alive today is 62 years old; half are between 43 and 76.
The 2020 Census counted 17,367 people named Willis (243 women and girls, 17,124 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 19,099 born in the U.S. The Census count is 9% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,500 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 5,660 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,250 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,480 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,240 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 780 |
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 Willis born?
The states with the most babies named Willis are Texas, North Carolina and Ohio, with 17% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,705 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 2,381 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Ohio | 2,330 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 2,246 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 2,106 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Illinois | 1,905 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Kentucky | 1,778 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| New York | 1,758 | not ranked | 0.4× |
| Louisiana | 1,704 | not ranked | 1.7× |
| Alabama | 1,692 | not ranked | 1.4× |
Where Willis is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Willis is most over-represented in Louisiana: since 1910 it was given 1.7 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 Willis 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 4 names spelled alike, given to 53,404 babies since 1880, Willis is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 52 of their 57 babies (91%), 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 Willis
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 Willis and names like it
- Compare Willis and WillysBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sWillis peaked in 1924.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Willis since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Willis: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1924The year the most babies were named Willis.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Willis alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with WMost given first.