# Will (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/will/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /wɪl/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Wil |
| US babies named this | 46,610 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 45,952 / 658 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 3,193, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Clipping of William or Willow, less often, other given names beginning with Wil-, such as Wilfred or Willard.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 13 | 2,381 |
| 1937 | 14 | 2,313 |
| 1938 | 10 | 2,936 |
| 1939 | 8 | 3,420 |
| 1940 | 5 | 5,009 |
| 1941 | 6 | 4,408 |
| 1942 | 9 | 3,439 |
| 1943 | 9 | 3,484 |
| 1944 | 6 | 4,564 |
| 1947 | 6 | 5,284 |
| 1950 | 6 | 5,288 |
| 1951 | 6 | 5,398 |
| 1954 | 9 | 4,271 |
| 1957 | 6 | 6,072 |
| 1978 | 5 | 11,432 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 357 | 664 |
| 2012 | 352 | 674 |
| 2013 | 315 | 741 |
| 2014 | 313 | 755 |
| 2015 | 270 | 835 |
| 2016 | 277 | 825 |
| 2017 | 239 | 900 |
| 2018 | 242 | 897 |
| 2019 | 217 | 983 |
| 2020 | 235 | 941 |
| 2021 | 200 | 1,070 |
| 2022 | 178 | 1,162 |
| 2023 | 185 | 1,139 |
| 2024 | 153 | 1,289 |
| 2025 | 170 | 1,195 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 172 | 269 |
| 2012 | 143 | 316 |
| 2013 | 106 | 382 |
| 2014 | 91 | 442 |
| 2015 | 79 | 493 |
| 2016 | 62 | 585 |
| 2017 | 46 | 743 |
| 2018 | 40 | 801 |
| 2019 | 33 | 894 |
| 2020 | 19 | 1,314 |
| 2021 | 18 | 1,391 |
| 2022 | 16 | 1,534 |
| 2023 | 18 | 1,407 |
| 2024 | 13 | 1,859 |
| 2025 | 8 | 2,664 |

## In other languages

- Bulgarian: Уи́л
- Chinese: 威爾 /威尔
- Dutch: Jelle, Wil, Wim, Pim
- Finnish: Ville, Vili, Vilho
- French: Guillon
- German: Willi, Willy, Wim
- Greek: Γουίλ
- Hebrew: וויל
- Hungarian: Vili
- Japanese: ウィル
- Latvian: Vilis
- Portuguese: Gui
- Russian: Уиллом
- Slovene: Vilko, Vili
- Spanish: Guille
- Swedish: Ville
- Welsh: Gwil

## People named Will

- Will Rogers, American humorist and entertainer (1879–1935)
- Will Poulter, British actor (born 1993)
- Will Eisner, American cartoonist, writer and entrepreneur (1917–2005)
- Will Patton, American actor
- Will Grigg, association football player (born 1991)
- Will Forte, American actor, comedian, writer (born 1970)
- Will Robson Emilio Andrade, Brazilian association football player
- Will Claye, American triple jumper and long jumper
- Will Kymlicka, Canadian philosopher
- Will Hughes, English association football player
- Will Self, English writer and journalist (born 1961)
- Will Yun Lee, American actor

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.