How common is the surname Bill?

5,246 people in the United States had the surname Bill in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 58,854 Americans. It ranked 6,474th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Bill?

Tony Bill, American actor, producer and director, followed by Leo Bill.

Where is the surname Bill most common?

Wikidata records people named Bill in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Bill getting more or less common?

Less common. 6,445 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,246 in 2010, down 19%.

Is Bill also a first name?

Yes. Bill is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Bill

A surname, carried by 5,246 people in the United States.

Pronounced /bɪl/ 1 syllable Soundex B400 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Bill is more common than 96% of them.

Origin

Hypocorism of William. It is unclear how the initial W became a B; this could have been part of the medieval trend of swapping letters, similar to Dick for Rick.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 5,246 people named Bill in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 58,854 Americans. That is down 19% since 2000, when the Census counted 6,445.

#6,474

rank among US surnames

5,246

people in 2010

1.8

per 100,000 Americans

-18.6%

change since 2000 (was #4,994)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#6,468	Vining	5,253	58,775
#6,469	Escoto	5,249	58,820
#6,470	Aronson	5,247	58,842
#6,474	Grow	5,246	58,854
#6,476	Uhl	5,244	58,876

Who is named Bill

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

75% of people named Bill identified as white (not Hispanic), 8.1% as Black (not Hispanic) and 7.0% as American Indian and Alaska Native.

White (not Hispanic) 75%
Black (not Hispanic) 8.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.9%
Two or more races 1.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Bills

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Tony Bill
American actor, producer and director, born 1940
Leo Bill
British actor, born 1980

Notable Bills come mostly from the United States (1) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Bill

Bill has the Soundex code B400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B400.

Questions

Where does the surname Bill come from?: Hypocorism of William. It is unclear how the initial W became a B; this could have been part of the medieval trend of swapping letters, similar to Dick for Rick.
How common is the surname Bill?: 5,246 people in the United States had the surname Bill in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 58,854 Americans. It ranked 6,474th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Bill?: In the 2010 Census, 75% of people named Bill identified as white (not Hispanic), and 8.1% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Bill?: Tony Bill, American actor, producer and director, followed by Leo Bill.
Where is the surname Bill most common?: Wikidata records people named Bill in the United States and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Bill?: Bill is /bɪl/, one syllable.
Is the surname Bill getting more or less common?: Less common. 6,445 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 5,246 in 2010, down 19%.
Is Bill also a first name?: Yes. Bill is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.