Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name William?
Births per year, rank history and how many Williams are alive today.
William (male) is currently the 27th most popular boys' name in England and Wales, with 1,517 babies given the name in 2024. The name peaked in 1904, when it was the most popular boys' name outright, given to around 41,800 babies. William's popularity is double-peaked: strongest in the early 1900s with a second wave in the 2000s. Numbers have been falling in recent years. At least 250,000 babies have been named William in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Common short forms of William include Billy.
The William you are most likely to meet is around 17 years old - or else around 86: the name has two living generations. Half of all Williams born in England and Wales are between 26 and 76, and there are at least 370,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 71% chance that at least one of them will be called William.
How many babies are named William each year?
Where does William rank among boys' names?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name William most popular?
William peaked in 1904, when around 41,800 babies in England and Wales were given the name.
How many people are called William?
At least 370,000 people named William born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical William?
Most living Williams are between 26 and 76; the most common age is about 17. There is a second cluster around 86.
Is William becoming more or less popular?
Remarkably steady: it has stayed in the top 100 throughout the records.