Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1947

Bill

Meaning Hypocorism of William Gender Boy Rank 2025 #5,235

Hypocorism of William. It is unclear how the initial W became a B; this could have been part of the medieval trend of swapping letters, similar to Dick for Rick.

Rank 2025
#5,235
among boys · ↓650 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
18
named Bill · -18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 94,893
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1947
4,688 babies
All-time total
161,190
#214 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Bill popularity over time

161,190 babies have been named Bill since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 600 600 60 – #171
1890s – 789 789 79 +32% #174
1900s 10 1,513 1,523 152 +93% #117
1910s 112 6,599 6,711 671 +341% #124
1920s 207 22,288 22,495 2,250 +235% #63
1930s 187 32,338 32,525 3,253 +45% #57
1940s 92 37,756 37,848 3,785 +16% #65
1950s 32 23,877 23,909 2,391 -37% #93
1960s 52 25,132 25,184 2,518 +5% #95
1970s 19 5,206 5,225 523 -79% #233
1980s 5 1,815 1,820 182 -65% #540
1990s – 1,153 1,153 115 -37% #886
2000s – 845 845 85 -27% #1,189
2010s – 423 423 42 -50% #2,377
2020s (to 2025) – 140 140 23 -45% #3,660

The story of Bill

Bill is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #5,235 in 2025 with 18 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 161,190 American babies have been named Bill. Its peak came in 1947, when 4,688 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bill stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bill?

The median living Bill is about 67 years old; half are between 62 and 79. An estimated 73 thousand people named Bill are alive in the United States today.

median 67 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bill year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 18 #5,235
2024 – – 22 #4,585
2023 – – 22 #4,621
2022 – – 26 #4,104
2021 – – 23 #4,382
2020 – – 29 #3,660
2019 – – 28 #3,805
2018 – – 48 #2,619
2017 – – 42 #2,844
2016 – – 39 #3,000
2015 – – 33 #3,377
2014 – – 47 #2,584
2013 – – 50 #2,464
2012 – – 41 #2,874
2011 – – 42 #2,803
2010 – – 53 #2,377
2009 – – 58 #2,254
2008 – – 73 #1,951
2007 – – 85 #1,743
2006 – – 85 #1,670
2005 – – 86 #1,596
2004 – – 89 #1,503
2003 – – 81 #1,564
2002 – – 74 #1,621
2001 – – 100 #1,307
2000 – – 114 #1,189
1995 – – 101 #1,137
1990 – – 112 #995
1985 – – 176 #665
1980 – – 251 #540
1975 – – 409 #385
1970 7 #6,428 1,020 #233
1965 – – 2,060 #151
1960 – – 4,501 #95
1955 – – 1,656 #171
1950 6 #4,784 2,040 #131
1945 8 #3,417 3,711 #66
1940 11 #2,584 3,267 #67
1935 12 #2,450 3,282 #60
1930 25 #1,577 3,160 #59
1925 19 #2,034 2,381 #84
1920 18 #2,081 1,421 #121
1915 15 #2,058 746 #157
1910 5 #2,452 259 #124
1905 – – 147 #144
1900 – – 196 #117
1895 – – 90 #175
1890 – – 72 #186
1885 – – 66 #195
1880 – – 53 #221

Famous people named Bill

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Bill Clinton Bill Clinton President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 b. 1946 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Bill Gates Bill Gates American businessman and philanthropist (born 1955) Contemporary
  3. 3 Bill Pullman Bill Pullman American actor (born 1953) Contemporary
  4. 4 Bill Cosby Bill Cosby American entertainer (born 1937) Contemporary
  5. 5 Bill Murray Bill Murray American actor and comedian (born 1950) Contemporary
  6. 6 Bill Paxton Bill Paxton American actor (1955–2017) Contemporary
  7. 7 Bill Nighy Bill Nighy British actor (born 1949) Contemporary
  8. 8 Bill Russell Bill Russell American basketball player and coach (1934–2022) Contemporary
  9. 9 Bill Wyman Bill Wyman English rock musician (born 1936) Contemporary
  10. 10 Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio Mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021 b. 1961 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Bill Goldberg Bill Goldberg American professional wrestler and football player (born 1966) Contemporary
  12. 12 Bill Bixby Bill Bixby American actor and director (1934–1993) Contemporary
  13. 13 Bill Withers Bill Withers American musician (1938–2020) Contemporary
  14. 14 Bill Evans Bill Evans American jazz pianist (1929–1980) Contemporary
  15. 15 Bill Duke Bill Duke American actor and director (born 1943) Contemporary
  16. 16 Bill Cobbs Bill Cobbs American actor (1934–2024) Contemporary
  17. 17 Bill Bryson Bill Bryson American-British author (born 1951) Contemporary
  18. 18 Bill Gates Sr. Bill Gates Sr. American attorney and civic leader (1925–2020) Contemporary
  19. 19 Bill Shankly Bill Shankly Scottish footballer and manager (1913–1981) Contemporary
  20. 20 Bill Finger Bill Finger American comics writer (1914–1974) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bill, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bill?

The median living Bill is about 67 years old. Half of all living Bills are between 62 and 79 years old.

How many people named Bill are alive today?

An estimated 73 thousand people named Bill are alive in the United States, based on 161,190 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bill mean?

Hypocorism of William. It is unclear how the initial W became a B; this could have been part of the medieval trend of swapping letters, similar to Dick for Rick.

How popular is the name Bill in 2025?

Bill ranked #5,235 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 18 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bill?

161,190 babies have been named Bill in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bill most popular?

Bill peaked in 1947, when 4,688 newborns received the name.

Is Bill a boy or girl name?

Bill is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bill rising or falling?

Bill is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Who are famous people named Bill?

Well-known people named Bill include Bill Clinton (politician), Bill Gates (businessperson), Bill Pullman (actor).

Names like Bill

Names that sound and feel close to Bill: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bill with similar names → More names starting with B →