William

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era.

From Wikipedia

William first appears in the data in 1996 and has been recorded in 29 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 1999 with 5,287 babies (rank #10 that year). In 2024 it was given to 1,517 boys (rank #27). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of William

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of William yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

7Destiny numberThe seekerIntrospective, analytical, drawn to the unknown.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
1Soul urgeThe leaderIndependent, pioneering, drawn to going first.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
6PersonalityThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

117,985

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

5,287

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Famous people named William

William Shakespearestage actor · b. 1564
William Blakeexlibrist · b. 1757
William Butler Yeatsmystic · b. 1865
William Faulknershort story writer · b. 1897
William Howard Taftuniversity teacher · b. 1857

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near William in 2024

Other boys' names starting with W

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1996	4,269	#21
1997	4,499	#19
1998	4,879	#14
1999	5,287	#10
2000	4,804	#12
2001	4,459	#13
2002	5,037	#9
2003	4,904	#9
2004	5,212	#8
2005	5,106	#8
2006	4,886	#7
2007	5,148	#8
2008	5,169	#10
2009	5,247	#8
2010	5,256	#7
2011	4,632	#10
2012	4,590	#9
2013	4,268	#8
2014	4,134	#10
2015	4,083	#8
2016	3,819	#11
2017	3,437	#11
2018	3,015	#14
2019	2,667	#17
2020	2,215	#20
2021	2,093	#21
2022	1,806	#24
2023	1,544	#29
2024	1,517	#27