boys' name ★ peaked 1934

Billy

Meaning Diminutive and pet-form Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,068 Trend ↓ Falling 12%

Diminutive and pet-form; from Bill +‎ -y.

Rank 2025
#1,068
among boys · ↓17 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
217
named Billy · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,414
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1934
9,659 babies
All-time total
389,665
#90 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Billy popularity over time

389,665 babies have been named Billy 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
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 63 63 6 – #656
1890s 5 99 104 10 +65% #427
1900s 44 209 253 25 +143% #365
1910s 247 3,016 3,263 326 +1190% #154
1920s 1,116 42,096 43,212 4,321 +1224% #23
1930s 1,102 88,341 89,443 8,944 +107% #19
1940s 608 67,833 68,441 6,844 -23% #27
1950s 483 59,277 59,760 5,976 -13% #57
1960s 488 48,472 48,960 4,896 -18% #67
1970s 710 33,217 33,927 3,393 -31% #75
1980s 360 20,650 21,010 2,101 -38% #100
1990s 128 10,942 11,070 1,107 -47% #214
2000s 33 5,670 5,703 570 -48% #384
2010s 35 3,099 3,134 313 -45% #611
2020s (to 2025) 73 1,249 1,322 220 -30% #999

Where Billy is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 199 0.12 outside top 500
2027 195 0.11 outside top 500
2028 192 0.11 outside top 500
2029 190 0.11 outside top 500
2030 188 0.11 outside top 500

Where Billy is most popular

Boys named Billy per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.120 per 1,000. Strongest in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Billy born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Mississippi 22 0.387 +223%
Kentucky 38 0.379 +215%
Oklahoma 33 0.373 +211%
Tennessee 40 0.222 +85%
Alabama 23 0.210 +75%
Missouri 28 0.202 +68%
Georgia 47 0.186 +55%
Texas 141 0.160 +33%
Louisiana 16 0.156 +30%
Arkansas 9 0.142 +18%
Michigan 28 0.137 +14%
Florida 63 0.133 +11%
Virginia 25 0.132 +10%
North Carolina 31 0.121 ≈ national
California 91 0.100 -17%
Ohio 25 0.094 -21%
Kansas 6 0.087 -27%
Indiana 13 0.081 -32%
Washington 13 0.079 -34%
Colorado 10 0.077 -35%
New York 30 0.069 -42%
Minnesota 8 0.065 -46%
Pennsylvania 16 0.060 -50%
Utah 5 0.052 -56%
South Carolina 5 0.048 -60%
Illinois 11 0.043 -64%
Arizona 7 0.043 -64%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Billy

Billy is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,068 in 2025 with 203 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 389,665 American babies have been named Billy. Its peak came in 1934, when 9,659 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1930s.

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 Billy stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Billy?

The median living Billy is about 63 years old; half are between 49 and 75. An estimated 206 thousand people named Billy are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

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

Billy 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 14 #7,554 203 #1,068
2024 13 #8,041 210 #1,051
2023 9 #10,453 195 #1,096
2022 16 #7,035 221 #1,007
2021 15 #7,318 208 #1,037
2020 6 #13,739 212 #999
2019 – – 245 #891
2018 6 #14,075 262 #846
2017 – – 268 #830
2016 6 #14,632 261 #863
2015 – – 282 #810
2014 6 #14,877 288 #797
2013 – – 349 #685
2012 6 #15,270 356 #664
2011 6 #15,135 397 #611
2010 5 #17,444 391 #624
2009 – – 443 #591
2008 – – 460 #565
2007 – – 546 #486
2006 – – 566 #471
2005 – – 560 #456
2004 7 #12,969 566 #457
2003 11 #9,144 601 #426
2002 – – 582 #426
2001 7 #12,263 676 #384
2000 8 #10,878 670 #385
1995 10 #8,154 1,063 #264
1990 17 #5,318 1,439 #214
1985 34 #2,754 1,831 #150
1980 59 #1,835 2,991 #100
1975 75 #1,407 3,113 #84
1970 73 #1,421 4,121 #78
1965 54 #1,519 4,649 #77
1960 39 #1,811 6,023 #67
1955 50 #1,424 5,769 #69
1950 44 #1,378 5,674 #57
1945 63 #976 6,022 #42
1940 60 #928 7,596 #27
1935 103 #641 9,241 #19
1930 166 #526 9,285 #20
1925 126 #656 4,207 #49
1920 55 #990 1,206 #132
1915 28 #1,342 276 #307
1910 8 #1,791 43 #407
1905 – – 20 #508
1900 – – 36 #365
1895 – – 11 #641
1890 – – 5 #1,019
1885 – – 8 #706
1880 – – 7 #753

Famous people named Billy

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

  1. 1 Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton American actor, filmmaker, and singer-songwriter (born 1955) Contemporary
  2. 2 Billy Joel Billy Joel American singer, songwriter, and pianist (born 1949) Contemporary
  3. 3 Billy Crudup Billy Crudup American actor (born 1968) Contemporary
  4. 4 Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus American country singer and actor (born 1961) Contemporary
  5. 5 Billy the Kid Billy the Kid American outlaw and gunfighter (1859–1881) 19th century
  6. 6 Billy Idol Billy Idol English singer (born 1955) Contemporary
  7. 7 Billy Crystal Billy Crystal American comedian and actor (born 1948) Contemporary
  8. 8 Billy Zane Billy Zane American actor (born 1966) Contemporary
  9. 9 Billy Graham Billy Graham American Baptist evangelist (1918–2018) Contemporary
  10. 10 Billy Connolly Billy Connolly Scottish actor and comedian (born 1942) Contemporary
  11. 11 Billy Preston Billy Preston American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter (1946–2006) Contemporary
  12. 12 Billy Burke Billy Burke American actor (born 1966) Contemporary
  13. 13 Billy Dee Williams Billy Dee Williams American actor, novelist and painter (born 1937) Contemporary
  14. 14 Billy Wilder Billy Wilder Austrian and American filmmaker (1906–2002) Contemporary
  15. 15 Billy Ocean Billy Ocean British singer (born 1950) Contemporary
  16. 16 Billy Milligan American criminal (1955–2014) Contemporary
  17. 17 Billy Drago Billy Drago American actor (1945–2019) Contemporary
  18. 18 Billy Blanks Billy Blanks American actor, martial artist and fitness guru (b. 1955) Contemporary
  19. 19 Billy Bremner Billy Bremner Scottish footballer (1942–1997) Contemporary
  20. 20 Billy Cobham Billy Cobham Panamanian–American drummer (born 1944) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Billy?

The median living Billy is about 63 years old. Half of all living Billys are between 49 and 75 years old.

How many people named Billy are alive today?

An estimated 206 thousand people named Billy are alive in the United States, based on 389,665 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Billy mean?

Diminutive and pet-form; from Bill +‎ -y.

How popular is the name Billy in 2025?

Billy ranked #1,068 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 203 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Billy?

389,665 babies have been named Billy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Billy most popular?

Billy peaked in 1934, when 9,659 newborns received the name.

Is Billy a boy or girl name?

Billy is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Billy rising or falling?

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

Will Billy become more popular?

Billy is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 188 boys named Billy in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Billy?

Well-known people named Billy include Billy Bob Thornton (actor), Billy Joel (singer), Billy Crudup (actor).

Names like Billy

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

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