Will
Boy name · #1193 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 170 baby boys were named Will, placing it at #1193 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #831, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 10,588 boys born in 2025 was named Will.
Babies named Will per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Will first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 588 boys received the name. Its peak came in 1888, when 707 boys were named Will — good for #28 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Will against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Will in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Will is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Will will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Will is most common
Geography matters for names, and Will is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Will is most common in UT (0.6 per 1,000), PA (0.2 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000), TX (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Will is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Will
Will belongs to the William family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
Counted as one name, the William family went to about 11,065 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #8, versus #1193 for Will alone.
Names like Will
Statistically, parents drawn to Will tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Emil, Anton, Kendall, Wilson, and Elmer.
EmilAntonKendallWilsonElmerWilmerMikelWiley
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Will | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 170 | #1193 |
| 2024 | 153 | #1286 |
| 2023 | 185 | #1137 |
| 2022 | 178 | #1156 |
| 2021 | 200 | #1067 |
| 2020 | 235 | #935 |
| 2019 | 217 | #981 |
| 2018 | 242 | #894 |
| 2017 | 239 | #899 |
| 2016 | 277 | #823 |
| 2015 | 270 | #831 |
| 2014 | 313 | #754 |
| 2013 | 315 | #740 |
| 2012 | 352 | #671 |
| 2011 | 357 | #662 |
| 2010 | 396 | #622 |
| 2009 | 457 | #577 |
| 2008 | 432 | #585 |
| 2007 | 457 | #563 |
| 2006 | 473 | #533 |
| 2005 | 503 | #492 |
| 2004 | 452 | #528 |
| 2003 | 433 | #535 |
| 2002 | 403 | #549 |
| 2001 | 389 | #550 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Will a popular boy name?
Will ranked #1193 among boys in 2025 with 170 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #831.
When was the name Will most popular?
Will peaked in 1888, when 707 American boys received the name (ranked #28 that year). Since 1888 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Will?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 10,588 newborn American boys was named Will. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.