Unisex name · since 1915

Willoughby

223 babies named Willoughby in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 1923. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#12,329 of 45,481
all-time among boys
223
born since 1915
1920s
peak decade

Willoughby sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 223 recorded since 1915.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Willoughby has been recorded 223 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 2024.

  • #12,329 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 223 born since 1915
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Willoughby ranks #12,329 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 223 born since 1915, peaking in the 1920s.

#12,329 of 45,481
all-time among boys
223
born since 1915
1920s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Willoughby's 223 recorded births place it above 72.89% 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.

Willoughby's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Willoughby's SSA record in two at 1933 and the more recent half accounts for 43% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 57%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1915, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1923 peak of 15, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Willoughby popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2024

Last recorded 2024
Peak year (1923)
15
Annual births at peak, across 110 years of records
05101520 191519191923192819331941195820152024 5

Willoughby popularity over time - girls

91 total births recorded since 2000 (Willoughby as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 91 births
4681012 2000201420172019202120232025 5

Willoughby by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (82 births, 37% of the file).

1920s was Willoughby's strongest decade.

82 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.

Willoughby births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 82 births (37% of all-time use).

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Willoughby?
Since 1915, Social Security records show 223 babies named Willoughby. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #12,329 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. The most recent recorded year was 2024. Its busiest year on record was 1923, with 15 births.
Where does Willoughby sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Willoughby ranks #12,329 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 Willoughby most popular?
Willoughby was most popular in the 1920s decade with 82 total births. The single peak year was 1923.
Is Willoughby a unisex name?
Yes, Willoughby is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 223 births, and as a girl's name it has 91 births.
How long has the name Willoughby been used?
Willoughby has been recorded in Social Security data since 1915, spanning 110 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Willoughby?
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 Willoughby's data

  • Willoughby's decade-level peak was the 1920s (82 total births); usage has since declined to 12 in the 2020s -- 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 Willoughby

Nearby Names Like Willoughby

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

Names with a similar number of total births

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Willoughby: 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, 1915–2024 (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 Willoughby 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.