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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201914peak #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.

Where Willis is popular in 1914

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedAKMaine: #121 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 558 boysMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedNHWashington: #138 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 867 boysWAIdaho: #110 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 409 boysIDMontana: #117 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 547 boysMTNorth Dakota: #145 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 769 boysNDMinnesota: #143 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 841 boysMNIllinois: #150 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 1,005 boysILWisconsin: #125 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 734 boysWIMichigan: #136 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 769 boysMINew York: #229 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 2,541 boysNYMassachusetts: #247 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 3,375 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #109 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 478 boysSDIowa: #109 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 512 boysIAIndiana: #97 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 499 boysINOhio: #85 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 463 boysOHPennsylvania: #149 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 1,363 boysPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #173 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 1,192 boysCAUtah: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedUTColorado: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedCONebraska: #102 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 477 boysNEMissouri: #128 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 777 boysMOKentucky: #157 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 950 boysKYWest Virginia: #94 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 473 boysWVVirginia: #142 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 819 boysVAMaryland: #155 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 1,261 boysMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedNMKansas: #111 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 501 boysKSArkansas: #88 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 372 boysARTennessee: #106 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 607 boysTNNorth Carolina: #98 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 532 boysNCSouth Carolina: #108 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 619 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #111 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 509 boysOKLouisiana: #113 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 499 boysLAMississippi: #129 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 702 boysMSAlabama: #83 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 413 boysALGeorgia: #129 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 724 boysGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Willis, so not publishedHITexas: #142 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 694 boysTXFlorida: #106 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 532 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Alabama#83 · 1 in 413
  2. Ohio#85 · 1 in 463
  3. Arkansas#88 · 1 in 372
  4. West Virginia#94 · 1 in 473
  5. Indiana#97 · 1 in 499

Best ever in a state: #57 in Delaware, 1919.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alabama#83381 in 413
Ohio#85611 in 463
Arkansas#88271 in 372
West Virginia#94171 in 473
Indiana#97291 in 499
North Carolina#98361 in 532
Nebraska#102151 in 477
Florida#106121 in 532
Tennessee#106221 in 607
South Carolina#108211 in 619
Iowa#109231 in 512
South Dakota#10971 in 478
Idaho#11051 in 409
Kansas#111171 in 501
Oklahoma#111211 in 509
Louisiana#113221 in 499
Montana#11751 in 547
Maine#12171 in 558
Wisconsin#125181 in 734
Missouri#128221 in 777
Georgia#129291 in 724
Mississippi#129181 in 702
Michigan#136201 in 769
Washington#13861 in 867
Texas#142421 in 694
Virginia#142171 in 819
Minnesota#143141 in 841
North Dakota#14551 in 769
Pennsylvania#149411 in 1,363
Illinois#150351 in 1,005
Maryland#15561 in 1,261
Kentucky#157141 in 950
California#173111 in 1,192
New York#229251 in 2,541
Massachusetts#24771 in 3,375
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
Oregon
Rhode Island
Utah
Vermont
Wyoming

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

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 1914

girls
#2,434
9 births · 1 in 84,620 girls
boys
#135
743 births · 1 in 881 boys

Top girls' names in 1914

  1. #1Mary45,346
  2. #2Helen23,221
  3. #3Dorothy18,782
  4. #4Margaret17,763
  5. #5Ruth15,839
  6. #6Anna11,865
  7. #7Mildred11,649
  8. #8Elizabeth11,367
  9. #9Frances9,677
  10. #10Marie8,829
  11. #2,434Willis9

Top boys' names in 1914

  1. #1John37,947
  2. #2William29,753
  3. #3James26,262
  4. #4Robert21,188
  5. #5Joseph18,829
  6. #6George17,602
  7. #7Charles16,937
  8. #8Edward12,319
  9. #9Frank12,002
  10. #10Walter8,962
  11. #135Willis743
More about 1914

girls

761,581 girls got a published name in 1914; 1 in 84,620 of them was named Willis, which outranked 42.1% of the 4,206 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Willis
  1. #2,265Zera10
  2. #2,265Zilla10
  3. #2,265Zillah10
  4. #2,434Willis9
  5. #2,434Adalyn9
  6. #2,434Adina9
  7. #2,434Agusta9
  8. #2,638Adlene8
  9. #2,638Adra8
  10. #2,638Adria8

Tied with 203 names at #2,434; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1913
Risers
  1. 589Rilla#1,358#769
  2. 587Venita#1,465#878
  3. 509Orene#1,465#956
  4. 486Vonnie#1,405#919
  5. 463Kathlyn#1,020#557
Fallers
  1. 837Christena#981#1,818
  2. 642Tiny#961#1,603
  3. 504Dominga#881#1,385
  4. 504Florrie#881#1,385
  5. 419Veola#925#1,344

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

boys

654,762 boys got a published name in 1914; 1 in 881 of them was named Willis, which outranked 96.4% of the 3,759 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Willis
  1. #131Wesley789
  2. #133Orville787
  3. #134Franklin770
  4. #135Willis743
  5. #136Jerome737
  6. #137Tom735
  7. #138Tony733
Biggest movers since 1913
Risers
  1. 817Gilmore#1,803#986
  2. 647Santos#1,580#933
  3. 546Lorenza#1,365#819
  4. 534Bobby#1,441#907
  5. 534Gino#1,441#907
Fallers
  1. 918Bernardo#950#1,868
  2. 692Eston#995#1,687
  3. 692Rolf#995#1,687
  4. 613Orson#995#1,608
  5. 458West#930#1,388

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

See the top 100 for 1914