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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201956peak #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 1956

girls
#3,321
13 births · 1 in 154,439 girls
boys
#350
444 births · 1 in 4,764 boys

Top girls' names in 1956

  1. #1Mary61,741
  2. #2Debra48,324
  3. #3Linda48,084
  4. #4Deborah47,834
  5. #5Susan46,558
  6. #6Patricia43,329
  7. #7Karen40,052
  8. #8Cynthia32,339
  9. #9Barbara32,302
  10. #10Donna29,852
  11. #3,321Willis13

Top boys' names in 1956

  1. #1Michael90,691
  2. #2James84,897
  3. #3Robert83,924
  4. #4David81,652
  5. #5John80,804
  6. #6William58,991
  7. #7Richard52,915
  8. #8Mark48,828
  9. #9Thomas44,836
  10. #10Steven38,413
  11. #350Willis444
More about 1956

girls

2,007,703 girls got a published name in 1956; 1 in 154,439 of them was named Willis, which outranked 51.8% of the 6,891 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Willis
  1. #3,186Wendee14
  2. #3,186Willena14
  3. #3,186Yvonnie14
  4. #3,321Willis13
  5. #3,321Acquanetta13
  6. #3,321Adair13
  7. #3,321Adaline13
  8. #3,493Alan12
  9. #3,493Aleda12
  10. #3,493Alfreida12

Tied with 171 names at #3,321; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 993Sheena#1,839#846
  2. 770Glendora#1,733#963
  3. 684Leesa#1,209#525
  4. 543Marisa#1,074#531
  5. 537Dani#1,383#846
Fallers
  1. 513Sheilah#663#1,176
  2. 481Jeryl#768#1,249
  3. 344Jacalyn#496#840
  4. 325Roni#536#861
  5. 314Florine#984#1,298

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

boys

2,115,302 boys got a published name in 1956; 1 in 4,764 of them was named Willis, which outranked 92.1% of the 4,455 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Willis
  1. #347Gerry453
  2. #348Julian449
  3. #349Rafael448
  4. #350Willis444
  5. #351Adrian441
  6. #351Forrest441
  7. #353Jason437
Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 1,847Jace#2,764#917
  2. 678Rich#1,572#894
  3. 590Broderick#1,273#683
  4. 559Elvis#921#362
  5. 513Tracey#1,419#906
Fallers
  1. 351Adolphus#906#1,257
  2. 336Randolf#949#1,285
  3. 279Cordell#792#1,071
  4. 272Rudolfo#885#1,157
  5. 269Aurelio#949#1,218

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

See the top 100 for 1956