Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Wills?
Births per year, rank history and how many Willses are alive today.
Wills (male) is a shortened form of the name William. Wills itself was last registered for 3 babies in 2005; most Willses are registered as William, which ranked 25th in 2025 with 1,456 babies.
Most people called Wills are registered as William, and share that name's profile: 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 25 and 76, and there are at least 370,000 of them alive today. Only some Williams go by Wills.
How many babies are named Wills or William each year?
Combined registrations of William, Wills. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does William rank as a registered name?
Where does Wills rank as a registered name?
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
Is Wills short for William?
Yes - Wills is a shortened form of William. Willses are usually registered as William at birth.
When was the name Wills most popular?
The full name William peaked in 1904, when around 41,800 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Wills itself peaked as a registered name in 2005, with 3 babies.
How many people are called Wills?
There's no official count of people who go by Wills, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 370,000 people registered as William born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Wills.
How old is the typical Wills?
Most people called Wills are registered as William. Most living Williams are between 25 and 76; the most common age is about 17. There is a second cluster around 86.
Is Wills becoming more or less popular?
Declining: numbers have been falling in recent years.