Wil
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- WIL
- Origin
- Germanic
- UK rank, 2025
- #4,301 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #12,003 for boys
Wil is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “will and helmet”. In 2025 it ranked 4,301st for boys in the UK (4 babies) and 12,003rd for boys in the US (5 babies).
What does Wil mean?
Germanic: spelling of Will; short form of William
“will and helmet”
A short form of William, from the Germanic elements wil, will or desire, and helm, helmet.
Meaning borrowed from Will. More on Wiktionary.
Is Wil a girl's or a boy's name?
Wil is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 4 boys in the UK and 5 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Wil in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,301among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 4about 1 in 75,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 18% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 4 boys in the UK were named Wil, making it the 4,301st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,803rd. Its busiest year was 2007, with 21 boys.
Half of all the boys named Wil in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 17 boys in the UK were given Wil or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,396, up from #4,301 for this spelling alone.
- Will 13
- Wil 4
Among boys in 2025, it was 4,212th in England and Wales.
Wil in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | #4,301 |
| 2024 | 5 | #3,772 |
| 2023 | 5 | #3,712 |
| 2022 | 3 | #5,017 |
| 2021 | 6 | #3,179 |
| 2020 | 3 | #4,803 |
| 2019 | 6 | #3,184 |
| 2018 | 8 | #2,576 |
| 2017 | 15 | #1,738 |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 12 | #1,990 |
| 2014 | 8 | #2,593 |
| 2013 | 15 | #1,636 |
| 2012 | 12 | #1,956 |
| 2011 | 13 | #1,788 |
| 2010 | 19 | #1,385 |
| 2009 | 18 | #1,391 |
| 2008 | 17 | #1,436 |
| 2007 | 21 | #1,205 |
| 2006 | 14 | #1,487 |
| 2005 | 10 | #1,814 |
| 2004 | 11 | #1,583 |
| 2003 | 11 | #1,498 |
| 2002 | 10 | #1,490 |
| 2001 | 16 | #1,054 |
| 2000 | 12 | #1,235 |
| 1999 | 16 | #1,001 |
| 1998 | 14 | #1,062 |
| 1997 | 13 | #1,111 |
| 1996 | 3 | #2,949 |
How popular is Wil in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #12,003among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 5about 1 in 340,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 5 boys in the US were named Wil, making it the 12,003rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 9,548th. Its busiest year was 2005, with 48 boys. It first appears in the records in 1953.
2025 had fewer boys named Wil than any year since 1983.
Half of all the boys named Wil in the US since 1880 were born between 1991 and 2007, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 175 boys in the US were given Wil or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,071, up from #12,003 for this spelling alone.
- Will 170
- Wil 5
Wil in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #12,003 |
| 2024 | 7 | #9,888 |
| 2023 | 6 | #10,815 |
| 2022 | 12 | #6,822 |
| 2021 | 8 | #8,820 |
| 2020 | 7 | #9,548 |
| 2019 | 10 | #7,638 |
| 2018 | 7 | #9,664 |
| 2017 | 13 | #6,334 |
| 2016 | 19 | #4,941 |
| 2015 | 19 | #4,888 |
| 2014 | 12 | #6,627 |
| 2013 | 18 | #4,978 |
| 2012 | 15 | #5,714 |
| 2011 | 15 | #5,670 |
| 2010 | 25 | #3,993 |
| 2009 | 19 | #4,920 |
| 2008 | 25 | #4,041 |
| 2007 | 38 | #3,023 |
| 2006 | 40 | #2,831 |
| 2005 | 48 | #2,395 |
| 2004 | 38 | #2,737 |
| 2003 | 47 | #2,265 |
| 2002 | 27 | #3,255 |
| 2001 | 36 | #2,613 |
| 2000 | 40 | #2,375 |
| 1999 | 42 | #2,196 |
| 1998 | 44 | #2,091 |
| 1997 | 25 | #2,976 |
| 1996 | 29 | #2,585 |
| 1995 | 29 | #2,551 |
| 1994 | 30 | #2,497 |
| 1993 | 24 | #2,859 |
| 1992 | 33 | #2,248 |
| 1991 | 26 | #2,600 |
| 1990 | 30 | #2,303 |
| 1989 | 26 | #2,463 |
| 1988 | 30 | #2,085 |
| 1987 | 15 | #3,197 |
| 1986 | 15 | #3,128 |
| 1985 | 11 | #3,802 |
| 1984 | 10 | #3,922 |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 6 | #5,617 |
| 1981 | 6 | #5,466 |
| 1980 | 7 | #4,938 |
| 1979 | 7 | #4,840 |
| 1978 | 5 | #5,769 |
| 1977 | 6 | #5,121 |
| 1976 | 5 | #5,584 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 6 | #4,632 |
| 1973 | 7 | #4,052 |
| 1972 | 8 | #3,620 |
| 1971 | 7 | #3,961 |
| 1970 | 12 | #2,738 |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 6 | #3,672 |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 6 | #3,535 |
| 1964 | 5 | #4,038 |
| 1963 | 10 | #2,672 |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 5 | #4,036 |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 5 | #3,796 |
Names like Wil
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Luke Liam Jacob Ethan Jake Abdul Adam Joshua Myles Nathan Alexander Dylan
Other spellings of Wil
Names related to Wil
More Germanic names
Amelia Henry Charlotte William Archie Charlie Emma Freddie Ella Harry Millie Albie Matilda Louie Miles Alice
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Wil: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/wil, updated 20 October 2026.