Willis

Last seen for girls in 1989 at #12,362 · #2,539 for boys in 2025, 52 births
Given to boys 98.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1880 · 166 births
Debut · boys
166 births
In top 100 · boys
3 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
52,336
since 1880

Willis over time

boys

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

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201946peak #86, 1880boys
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#2,53952
2024#2,63750
2023#2,31560
2022#2,87344
2021#2,25362
2020#2,21262
2019#2,58250
2018#2,38555
2017#2,49351
2016#2,02870
2015#1,95574
2014#1,82881
2013#1,87875
2012#1,86378
2011#1,88674
2010#2,40252
2009#2,07766
2008#2,23759
2007#1,81180
2006#1,75879
2005#1,92266
2004#1,88065
2003#1,61178
2002#1,68270
2001#1,48182
2000#1,241107
1999#1,181109
1998#1,172106
1997#1,22795
1996#1,071113
1995#1,040115
1994#1,017119
1993#953127
1992#956126
1991#809163
1990#804159
1989#12,3625#770166
1988#692183
1987#703169
1986#680176
1985#642186
1984#624186
1983#601203
1982#570227
1981#607199
1980#573228
1979#563233
1978#573214
1977#548232
1976#609181
1975#566203
1974#568199
1973#571193
1972#502245
1971#513253
1970#500260
1969#515227
1968#498230
1967#486237
1966#482254
1965#6,5395#449300
1964#445324
1963#4,5399#432340
1962#415375
1961#4,8828#419357
1960#389414
1959#6,2455#395407
1958#383416
1957#4,5368#361447
1956#3,32113#350444
1955#3,77810#343452
1954#337447
1953#5,0406#321480
1952#4,9086#314513
1951#2,57716#309504
1950#3,23511#313476
1949#5,2445#310479
1948#4,6516#278584
1947#3,24011#279600
1946#2,22818#259584
1945#4,5565#231579
1944#3,3788#219623
1943#2,07918#208752
1942#2,53713#219666
1941#2,66811#201685
1940#4,3495#209609
1939#2,41712#191693
1938#2,34013#187731
1937#1,67921#184724
1936#1,87317#175768
1935#1,60622#173789
1934#1,77119#166867
1933#1,90617#170812
1932#1,68521#165911
1931#1,68621#160931
1930#1,93418#159965
1929#1,82520#1501,030
1928#1,83721#1481,085
1927#1,52329#1491,058
1926#1,44931#1401,233
1925#1,79523#1391,198
1924#2,40915#1361,261
1923#1,42832#1381,183
1922#1,68225#1331,250
1921#1,72325#1331,209
1920#2,01519#1331,197
1919#1,44529#1311,136
1918#2,10217#1411,091
1917#1,50725#140954
1916#1,80519#136990
1915#2,05015#137950
1914#2,4349#135743
1913#2,03410#135573
1912#1,71911#141453
1911#1,24114#143233
1910#1,9357#149216
1909#1,29011#139189
1908#1,6767#146161
1907#156146
1906#139148
1905#151136
1904#144136
1903#141133
1902#134144
1901#1,1369#149106
1900#134169
1899#1,2787#128126
1898#143121
1897#124132
1896#120145
1895#124135
1894#118133
1893#112149
1892#119143
1891#117118
1890#118129
1889#115124
1888#119135
1887#1,1475#117113
1886#103150
1885#106133
1884#100151
1883#103131
1882#104143
1881#93142
1880#86166
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Willis was already there! It came in at #86, and was given to 166 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2017–2025, when fewer than 63 boys a year got the name.

See more about Willis
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 98 spots since 2024 (#2,637#2,539)
  • 327 spots since 2020 (#2,212#2,539)
  • 584 spots since 2015 (#1,955#2,539)
  • Biggest jump: 61 spots in 1977 (#609#548)
  • Biggest drop: 147 spots in 1992 (#809#956)
Rise & fade · boys
Peaked on debut
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1880 at #86 (166 births)
  • Births halved by 2001, 121 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 3 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 3 yrs · run 1880–1881
  • Top 1,000: 114 yrs · run 1880–1993
Share of babies · boys
1 in 666
  • Highest: 1 in 666 boys born in 1880 were named Willis (0.15%)
  • Latest: 1 in 32,848 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 22.4% of all boys named Willis (11,704) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,388#86 (1880)#105
1890s1,331#112 (1893)#122
1900s1,468#134 (1900)#143
1910s7,339#131 (1919)#139
1920s11,704#133 (1922)#140
1930s8,191#159 (1930)#173
1940s6,161#201 (1941)#241
1950s4,586#309 (1951)#343
1960s3,058#389 (1960)#453
1970s2,213#500 (1970)#551
1980s1,923#570 (1982)#646
1990s1,232#804 (1990)#1,023
2000s752#1,241 (2000)#1,770
2010s660#1,828 (2014)#2,130
2020s330#2,212 (2020)#2,472

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.

Willis in 1946

girls
#2,228
18 births · 1 in 87,295 girls
boys
#259
584 births · 1 in 2,781 boys

Top girls' names in 1946

  1. #1Mary67,471
  2. #2Linda52,710
  3. #3Patricia46,297
  4. #4Barbara45,126
  5. #5Carol34,284
  6. #6Sandra31,692
  7. #7Nancy28,345
  8. #8Susan28,267
  9. #9Sharon27,824
  10. #10Judith22,310
  11. #2,228Willis18

Top boys' names in 1946

  1. #1James87,438
  2. #2Robert84,136
  3. #3John79,267
  4. #4William60,034
  5. #5Richard58,870
  6. #6David46,444
  7. #7Michael41,194
  8. #8Thomas38,877
  9. #9Charles38,215
  10. #10Ronald31,858
  11. #259Willis584
More about 1946

girls

1,571,305 girls got a published name in 1946; 1 in 87,295 of them was named Willis, which outranked 60.8% of the 5,686 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Willis
  1. #2,153Val19
  2. #2,153Verdie19
  3. #2,153Wayne19
  4. #2,228Willis18
  5. #2,228Aggie18
  6. #2,228Ailene18
  7. #2,228Aimee18
  8. #2,318Adria17
  9. #2,318Alline17
  10. #2,318Amada17

Tied with 89 names at #2,228; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1945
Risers
  1. 1,830Jacalyn#2,742#912
  2. 914Kimberly#1,621#707
  3. 615Suzette#1,032#417
  4. 538Randi#1,356#818
  5. 528Dayle#1,356#828
Fallers
  1. 335Oma#941#1,276
  2. 324Iola#824#1,148
  3. 324Artie#994#1,318
  4. 303Eartha#954#1,257
  5. 301Willia#830#1,131

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

boys

1,624,023 boys got a published name in 1946; 1 in 2,781 of them was named Willis, which outranked 93.6% of the 4,018 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Willis
  1. #256Homer593
  2. #257Frankie590
  3. #258Tommie587
  4. #259Willis584
  5. #260Dana580
  6. #261Aaron578
  7. #262Wilbert577
Biggest movers since 1945
Risers
  1. 584Zachary#1,536#952
  2. 514Patric#1,494#980
  3. 385Kris#1,296#911
  4. 385Rich#1,296#911
  5. 380Furman#1,270#890
Fallers
  1. 469Layton#971#1,440
  2. 438Farris#971#1,409
  3. 394Delano#558#952
  4. 312Leopoldo#864#1,176
  5. 290Rosevelt#927#1,217

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

See the top 100 for 1946