Boys' name · since 1880
Willis
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 52,336 babies named Willis, peaking in 1924. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #497 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,539 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 52,336
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Willis is the #2539 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 52,336 recorded since 1880.
Willis has 52,336 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2539 as of the latest data, more common than 82% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- 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.
- #497 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,539 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 52,336 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Willis ranks #497 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,539 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 52,336 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #497 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,539 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 52,336
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Willis's 52,336 recorded births place it above 98.9% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
48 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Willis compares
52,336 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Willis's all-time total is 142x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Willis | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 52,336 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,261 | 34 | 22,252 |
Willis's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Willis's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 25% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 75%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2022, with only 44 births recorded -- set against the 1924 peak of 1,261, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Willis popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 1,261
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Willis popularity over time - girls
818 total births recorded since 1887 (Willis as girls' name)
Willis by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (11,704 births, 22% of the file).
1920s was Willis's strongest decade.
11,704 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Willis births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,388
1880s
1,388 births
- 1890s 1,331
1890s
1,331 births
- 1900s 1,468
1900s
1,468 births
- 1910s
1910s
7,339 births
- 1920s
1920s
11,704 births
- 1930s
1930s
8,191 births
- 1940s
1940s
6,161 births
- 1950s 4,586
1950s
4,586 births
- 1960s 3,058
1960s
3,058 births
- 1970s 2,213
1970s
2,213 births
- 1980s 1,923
1980s
1,923 births
- 1990s 1,232
1990s
1,232 births
- 2000s 752
2000s
752 births
- 2010s 660
2010s
660 births
- 2020s 330
2020s
330 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 11,704 births (22% of all-time use).
How Willis 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 Willis's total volume
Willis by state
Where Willis concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,689 | 5.1% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 2,381 | 4.5% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 2,330 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 2,246 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 2,106 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 1,905 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Kentucky | | 1,778 | 3.4% |
| #8 | New York | | 1,758 | 3.4% |
2,689 of 52,336 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 48 reporting states.
Willis appears in 48 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Willis? ▼
Where does Willis sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Willis most popular? ▼
Where is Willis most popular? ▼
How long has the name Willis been used? ▼
What names are similar to Willis? ▼
What to do with Willis's data
- Willis's decade-level peak was the 1920s (11,704 total births); usage has since declined to 330 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Williss (2,689 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Willis
Nearby Names Like Willis
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Willis
Compare Willis side by side: Willis vs William Willis vs Willie Willis vs Willard
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Willis
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Willis: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1924)
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 Willis 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.