Will

Last seen for girls in 1978 at #9,750 · #1,193 for boys in 2025, 170 births
Given to boys 98.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
#25
1882 · 666 births
Debut · boys
1880
588 births
In top 100 · boys
30 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
45,952
since 1880

Will over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201908peak #25, 1882boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#1,193170
2024—#1,286153
2023—#1,137185
2022—#1,156178
2021—#1,067200
2020—#935235
2019—#981217
2018—#894242
2017—#899239
2016—#823277
2015—#831270
2014—#754313
2013—#740315
2012—#671352
2011—#662357
2010—#622396
2009—#577457
2008—#585432
2007—#563457
2006—#533473
2005—#492503
2004—#528452
2003—#535433
2002—#549403
2001—#550389
2000—#510447
1999—#505422
1998—#578339
1997—#632268
1996—#620280
1995—#635266
1994—#659248
1993—#628268
1992—#651252
1991—#593295
1990—#590289
1989—#589277
1988—#605241
1987—#593233
1986—#625204
1985—#615201
1984—#592204
1983—#564223
1982—#527262
1981—#560233
1980—#516271
1979—#505273
1978#9,7505#544232
1977—#556226
1976—#538224
1975—#535224
1974—#533224
1973—#542207
1972—#585185
1971—#564207
1970—#532230
1969—#566192
1968—#520213
1967—#585167
1966—#531205
1965—#547196
1964—#511235
1963—#515242
1962—#557200
1961—#529225
1960—#527225
1959—#545207
1958—#572183
1957#5,3776#524217
1956—#547192
1955—#583158
1954#3,9679#503207
1953—#486209
1952—#484211
1951#4,8336#490191
1950#4,7386#445224
1949—#449220
1948—#434238
1947#4,7646#466209
1946—#442207
1945—#431191
1944#4,0546#396235
1943#3,2499#439205
1942#3,1949#413221
1941#3,9546#382226
1940#4,3495#396209
1939#3,1458#377226
1938#2,73010#371231
1937#2,19614#355230
1936#2,26313#353233
1935#3,7426#311305
1934#2,74110#370215
1933#2,8689#362224
1932#2,64411#357242
1931#2,58111#364237
1930#2,55212#354259
1929#2,30114#333277
1928#1,96119#312323
1927#2,43314#330300
1926#1,77223#310333
1925#2,11918#299367
1924#3,3939#304354
1923#2,16917#291370
1922#1,73024#301358
1921#2,12018#291373
1920#2,46314#294368
1919#1,69823#273373
1918#1,75422#279363
1917#1,70821#281339
1916#2,02816#262362
1915#1,73819#249362
1914#1,38521#238319
1913#1,88311#222280
1912#2,1448#213256
1911#2,4635#146230
1910#1,33512#113278
1909#1,6078#99267
1908#1,20312#96274
1907—#96260
1906#1,5537#92253
1905#1,2989#85286
1904#1,4867#81287
1903—#74293
1902#1,3208#64359
1901#1,3397#53364
1900#1,10612#43603
1899—#48414
1898#1,2638#48475
1897#1,2637#44491
1896—#44508
1895#1,4266#44485
1894—#39559
1893—#37538
1892#1,1717#34607
1891#1,3325#34520
1890—#30613
1889#1,1476#30631
1888#1,2765#28707
1887#7889#30561
1886#9936#27642
1885#1,0475#27625
1884—#28650
1883#9205#29576
1882#7407#25666
1881#6797#26550
1880—#27588
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Will was already there! It came in at #27, and was given to 588 baby boys.

Quietest stretch: 2021–2025, when fewer than 210 boys a year got the name.

See more about Will
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 93 spots since 2024 (#1,286 → #1,193)
  • 258 spots since 2020 (#935 → #1,193)
  • 362 spots since 2015 (#831 → #1,193)
  • Biggest jump: 73 spots in 1999 (#578 → #505)
  • Biggest drop: 132 spots in 2021 (#935 → #1,067)
Rise & fade · boys
2 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1882 at #25 (666 births)
  • Births halved by 1903, 21 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 30 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 30 yrs · run 1880–1909
  • Top 1,000: 141 yrs · run 1880–2020
Share of babies · boys
1 in 171
  • Highest: 1 in 171 boys born in 1882 were named Will (0.59%)
  • Latest: 1 in 10,048 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · boys
The 1880s
  • 13.5% of all boys named Will (6,196) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s6,196#25 (1882)#28
1890s5,210#30 (1890)#40
1900s3,246#43 (1900)#78
1910s3,162#113 (1910)#228
1920s3,423#291 (1921)#307
1930s2,402#311 (1935)#357
1940s2,161#382 (1941)#425
1950s1,999#445 (1950)#518
1960s2,100#511 (1964)#539
1970s2,232#505 (1979)#543
1980s2,349#516 (1980)#579
1990s2,927#505 (1999)#609
2000s4,446#492 (2005)#542
2010s2,978#622 (2010)#788
2020s1,121#935 (2020)#1,129

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Will in 1908

girls
#1,203
12 births · 1 in 27,859 girls
boys
#96
274 births · 1 in 563 boys

Top girls' names in 1908

  1. #1Mary18,665
  2. #2Helen8,439
  3. #3Margaret6,976
  4. #4Ruth6,180
  5. #5Anna5,860
  6. #6Dorothy5,703
  7. #7Elizabeth4,904
  8. #8Mildred4,624
  9. #9Alice4,270
  10. #10Marie4,076
  11. #1,203Will12

Top boys' names in 1908

  1. #1John9,343
  2. #2William7,529
  3. #3James7,012
  4. #4George4,584
  5. #5Robert4,219
  6. #6Joseph4,162
  7. #7Charles3,929
  8. #8Frank3,146
  9. #9Edward2,707
  10. #10Thomas2,301
  11. #96Will274
More about 1908

girls

334,312 girls got a published name in 1908; 1 in 27,859 of them was named Will, which outranked 50.6% of the 2,434 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Will
  1. #1,135Wava13
  2. #1,135Zelpha13
  3. #1,135Zena13
  4. #1,203Will12
  5. #1,203Agness12
  6. #1,203Ailene12
  7. #1,203Albena12
  8. #1,261Adda11
  9. #1,261Almira11
  10. #1,261Anniemae11

Tied with 57 names at #1,203; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1907
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,122Bernetta#2,061 → #939
  2. ↑ 1,122Nila#2,061 → #939
  3. ↑ 909Arnetta#1,821 → #912
  4. ↑ 703Edra#1,512 → #809
  5. ↑ 703Hertha#1,512 → #809
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,261Aurore#840 → #2,101
  2. ↓ 1,178Tula#923 → #2,101
  3. ↓ 1,111Oneida#990 → #2,101
  4. ↓ 1,043Walter#819 → #1,862
  5. ↓ 1,022Gayle#840 → #1,862

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

154,336 boys got a published name in 1908; 1 in 563 of them was named Will, which outranked 93.9% of the 1,584 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Will
  1. #93Vernon285
  2. #94Stephen280
  3. #95Leslie279
  4. #96Will274
  5. #97Gerald270
  6. #98Morris269
  7. #99Julius263
Biggest movers since 1907
Risers
  1. ↑ 634Ludwig#1,200 → #566
  2. ↑ 633Norval#1,345 → #712
  3. ↑ 601Duke#1,345 → #744
  4. ↑ 601Francesco#1,345 → #744
  5. ↑ 601Guss#1,345 → #744
Fallers
  1. ↓ 709Elden#664 → #1,373
  2. ↓ 709Minor#664 → #1,373
  3. ↓ 595Ezell#778 → #1,373
  4. ↓ 595Fleming#778 → #1,373
  5. ↓ 558Bessie#815 → #1,373

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1908 →