Willie
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- WIL-ee
- Origin
- Germanic
- US rank, 2025
- #1,315 for boys
Willie is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “resolute protector”. In 2025 it ranked 1,315th for boys in the US (147 babies).
What does Willie mean?
Germanic: pet form of William
“resolute protector”
A pet form of William, from Germanic wil, 'will', and helm, 'helmet'; borne by baseball great Willie Mays.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Willie a girl's or a boy's name?
Willie is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 9 girls and 147 boys in the US.
How popular is Willie in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,315th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 147 about 1 in 12,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 34% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 147 boys in the US were named Willie, making it the 1,315th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 992nd. Its busiest year was 1947, with 7,997 boys. 9 girls were also named Willie in 2025 (10,104th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Willie in the US since 1880 were born between 1924 and 1957, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 174 boys in the US were given Willie or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,073, up from #1,315 for this spelling alone.
- Willie 147
- Willy 27
Girls were 29% of the babies named Willie in the US in 1880, and 6% in 2025.
Willie in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 147 | #1,315 |
| 2024 | 138 | #1,364 |
| 2023 | 144 | #1,323 |
| 2022 | 176 | #1,166 |
| 2021 | 161 | #1,200 |
| 2020 | 215 | #992 |
| 2019 | 208 | #1,004 |
| 2018 | 228 | #929 |
| 2017 | 285 | #802 |
| 2016 | 294 | #797 |
| 2015 | 307 | #774 |
| 2014 | 331 | #725 |
| 2013 | 332 | #707 |
| 2012 | 369 | #646 |
| 2011 | 390 | #614 |
| 2010 | 388 | #626 |
| 2009 | 401 | #621 |
| 2008 | 460 | #565 |
| 2007 | 470 | #547 |
| 2006 | 507 | #511 |
| 2005 | 481 | #511 |
| 2004 | 492 | #497 |
| 2003 | 559 | #451 |
| 2002 | 569 | #437 |
| 2001 | 608 | #412 |
| 2000 | 610 | #407 |
| 1999 | 668 | #385 |
| 1998 | 739 | #354 |
| 1997 | 774 | #335 |
| 1996 | 800 | #327 |
| 1995 | 824 | #317 |
| 1994 | 941 | #291 |
| 1993 | 1,062 | #272 |
| 1992 | 1,212 | #237 |
| 1991 | 1,319 | #224 |
| 1990 | 1,377 | #221 |
| 1989 | 1,460 | #202 |
| 1988 | 1,427 | #191 |
| 1987 | 1,479 | #186 |
| 1986 | 1,490 | #178 |
| 1985 | 1,574 | #171 |
| 1984 | 1,606 | #166 |
| 1983 | 1,763 | #155 |
| 1982 | 1,959 | #144 |
| 1981 | 1,967 | #141 |
| 1980 | 2,167 | #130 |
| 1979 | 2,153 | #125 |
| 1978 | 2,135 | #121 |
| 1977 | 2,163 | #124 |
| 1976 | 2,132 | #121 |
| 1975 | 2,174 | #117 |
| 1974 | 2,223 | #119 |
| 1973 | 2,391 | #109 |
| 1972 | 2,596 | #109 |
| 1971 | 2,862 | #115 |
| 1970 | 3,137 | #103 |
| 1969 | 3,048 | #101 |
| 1968 | 3,109 | #96 |
| 1967 | 3,391 | #92 |
| 1966 | 3,546 | #93 |
| 1965 | 3,807 | #93 |
| 1964 | 4,148 | #90 |
| 1963 | 4,194 | #93 |
| 1962 | 4,541 | #89 |
| 1961 | 4,790 | #86 |
| 1960 | 5,238 | #81 |
| 1959 | 5,374 | #78 |
| 1958 | 5,693 | #70 |
| 1957 | 6,211 | #63 |
| 1956 | 6,525 | #58 |
| 1955 | 6,629 | #54 |
| 1954 | 6,832 | #53 |
| 1953 | 7,056 | #49 |
| 1952 | 7,197 | #48 |
| 1951 | 7,226 | #45 |
| 1950 | 7,717 | #42 |
| 1949 | 7,916 | #41 |
| 1948 | 7,971 | #40 |
| 1947 | 7,997 | #42 |
| 1946 | 7,339 | #40 |
| 1945 | 7,030 | #31 |
| 1944 | 7,195 | #31 |
| 1943 | 7,178 | #36 |
| 1942 | 7,094 | #37 |
| 1941 | 6,526 | #36 |
| 1940 | 6,176 | #35 |
| 1939 | 6,308 | #33 |
| 1938 | 6,081 | #34 |
| 1937 | 6,231 | #32 |
| 1936 | 6,011 | #32 |
| 1935 | 6,327 | #30 |
| 1934 | 6,348 | #30 |
| 1933 | 5,983 | #32 |
| 1932 | 6,547 | #31 |
| 1931 | 5,963 | #31 |
| 1930 | 6,667 | #29 |
| 1929 | 6,616 | #29 |
| 1928 | 6,817 | #29 |
| 1927 | 6,969 | #27 |
| 1926 | 6,820 | #28 |
| 1925 | 7,124 | #27 |
| 1924 | 6,700 | #30 |
| 1923 | 6,665 | #30 |
| 1922 | 6,903 | #28 |
| 1921 | 6,492 | #34 |
| 1920 | 6,887 | #29 |
| 1919 | 6,942 | #23 |
| 1918 | 6,537 | #29 |
| 1917 | 5,751 | #31 |
| 1916 | 5,660 | #30 |
| 1915 | 5,434 | #30 |
| 1914 | 4,709 | #25 |
| 1913 | 3,760 | #24 |
| 1912 | 3,508 | #22 |
| 1911 | 2,492 | #14 |
| 1910 | 2,897 | #11 |
| 1909 | 2,175 | #13 |
| 1908 | 1,964 | #13 |
| 1907 | 1,968 | #13 |
| 1906 | 1,756 | #13 |
| 1905 | 1,782 | #13 |
| 1904 | 1,675 | #14 |
| 1903 | 1,454 | #14 |
| 1902 | 1,565 | #14 |
| 1901 | 1,294 | #16 |
| 1900 | 2,113 | #14 |
| 1899 | 1,088 | #18 |
| 1898 | 1,134 | #18 |
| 1897 | 1,151 | #18 |
| 1896 | 1,092 | #18 |
| 1895 | 1,071 | #18 |
| 1894 | 986 | #19 |
| 1893 | 882 | #19 |
| 1892 | 948 | #19 |
| 1891 | 739 | #21 |
| 1890 | 758 | #23 |
| 1889 | 708 | #26 |
| 1888 | 786 | #24 |
| 1887 | 590 | #27 |
| 1886 | 641 | #28 |
| 1885 | 614 | #29 |
| 1884 | 578 | #31 |
| 1883 | 474 | #34 |
| 1882 | 541 | #31 |
| 1881 | 498 | #30 |
| 1880 | 476 | #34 |
Names like Willie
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Walter, Archie, Charlie, Frederick, Lewis, Leonard, Albert, Robert, Frank, Charles, Raymond, Eddie
Other spellings of Willie
Names related to Willie
More Germanic names
Amelia, Liam, Henry, Charlotte, William, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Harry, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Louie, Miles, Alice, Myles
Sources
Figures from 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, “Willie: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/willie, updated 20 October 2026.