boy (SSA Category)Germanic OriginUS Rank #9 in 2025

William

Alternative forms & variants: Liam, Will, Bill, Guillaume

Verified Meaning & Etymology

“Resolute protector; compounded from wil (will, desire) and helm (helmet, protection)”

Linguistic heritage: Germanic

Pronunciation

English Phonetic:WIL-yuhm

IPA (US English):/ˈwɪljəm/

Source: Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary (en-US)

Compare William With Another Name

Peak Popularity194767,002 births in peak year

2025 US Rank#910,552 births in 2025

Total US Registrations4,215,725Recorded since 1880

Demographic Ratio100% MaleBased on SSA application records

Historical US Popularity Trajectory

Annual recorded US births from 1880 to 2025 (US Social Security Administration)

Peak US Popularity1947 (67,002 births)

Earliest RecordYear 1880

Recent 2025 Level10,545 births

Data source: United States Social Security Administration (1880–2025). The SSA privacy policy suppresses counts under 5. Data indicates biological sex entered on Social Security applications.

Names Similar to William

Calculated deterministically based on shared linguistic origins, styling, and popularity tier.

LiamView profile HenryView profile MilesView profile CharlesView profile AxelView profile

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Source Citations & Review Provenance

Demographic Data:

United States Social Security Administration (SSA) National Data (1880–2025). Counts reflect 100% of Social Security card applications where year, sex, and state of birth are recorded.

Linguistic Derivation:

Meanings cross-referenced with Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Nurturepedia (MIT). Phonetics audited against the Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary (BSD).

Last reviewed by editorial check: 2026-10-28Submit a factual correction or inquiry →