# Willard (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/willard/  
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 | English |
| Meaning | “will”, “brave”, “strong” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈwɪləɹd/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 78,542 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 77,658 / 884 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 3, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old English wil (“will”) + heard (“brave, strong”).

## What it means

Willard is grouped under brave and strong.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 7 | 4,189 |
| 1944 | 9 | 3,374 |
| 1945 | 6 | 4,546 |
| 1947 | 7 | 4,756 |
| 1949 | 8 | 4,227 |
| 1950 | 5 | 6,094 |
| 1952 | 6 | 5,550 |
| 1953 | 6 | 5,659 |
| 1954 | 6 | 5,740 |
| 1956 | 5 | 6,879 |
| 1960 | 5 | 7,307 |
| 1961 | 7 | 5,841 |
| 1967 | 6 | 6,790 |
| 1968 | 5 | 8,180 |
| 1969 | 5 | 8,684 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 36 | 3,163 |
| 2012 | 47 | 2,628 |
| 2013 | 31 | 3,493 |
| 2014 | 35 | 3,228 |
| 2015 | 44 | 2,763 |
| 2016 | 47 | 2,660 |
| 2017 | 55 | 2,386 |
| 2018 | 50 | 2,577 |
| 2019 | 46 | 2,763 |
| 2020 | 44 | 2,804 |
| 2021 | 29 | 3,809 |
| 2022 | 41 | 3,051 |
| 2023 | 43 | 2,946 |
| 2024 | 42 | 2,999 |
| 2025 | 47 | 2,760 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 3 | 4,432 |

## People named Willard

- Josiah Willard Gibbs, American scientist (1839–1903)
- Willard Libby, American physical chemist
- Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and inventor (1924–2011)
- Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher and logician (1900–2000)
- Willard Scott, American weather presenter and television personality (1934–2021)
- Willard Metcalf, American artist (1858-1925)
- Willard Louis, American actor (1882–1926)
- Willard Schmidt, basketball player (1910–1965)
- Willard Rice, American ice hockey player (1895-1967)
- Willard Robertson, American actor and writer (1886-1948)
- W. Willard Wirtz, American Secretary of Labor (1912-2010)
- Willard Parker, American actor (1912-1996)

## 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.