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
Willoughby's 223 recorded births place it above 72.89% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
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
- Peak year (1923)
- 15
- Annual births at peak, across 110 years of records
No longer in the modern top-1000, last recorded 2024.
223 total births across 110 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1923 with 15 births in a single year.
Willoughby popularity over time - girls
91 total births recorded since 2000 (Willoughby as girls' name)
Unisex use is substantial
The girls' variant of Willoughby accounts for 29% of total recorded use across both genders.
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
- 1910s 32
1910s
32 births
- 1920s
1920s
82 births
- 1930s 29
1930s
29 births
- 1940s 23
1940s
23 births
- 1950s 11
1950s
11 births
- 2010s
2010s
34 births
- 2020s 12
2020s
12 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 82 births (37% of all-time use).
Willoughby decade highlights
- Peak decade 82 births
- Runner-up 34 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where does Willoughby sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
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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
Compare Willoughby side by side: Willoughby vs William Willoughby vs Willie Willoughby vs Willard
Related Names
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.
Similar peak year (~1923)
Similar record span (~109 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, 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.
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