Billy
A pet form of William, Germanic for “resolute protector.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Billy appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1922 to 1980. Its biggest year was 1934, when 9,562 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 20 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1931, at No. 19. All told, 389,665 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Billie (135,300), Billye (3,472), Billi (1,746), Billee (619), Billey (523) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: William
Explore Billy interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 63 | No. 648 |
| 1890s | 99 | No. 424 |
| 1900s | 209 | No. 365 |
| 1910s | 3,016 | No. 154 |
| 1920s | 42,096 | No. 23 |
| 1930s | 88,341 | No. 19 |
| 1940s | 67,833 | No. 27 |
| 1950s | 59,277 | No. 57 |
| 1960s | 48,472 | No. 67 |
| 1970s | 33,217 | No. 75 |
| 1980s | 20,650 | No. 100 |
| 1990s | 10,942 | No. 214 |
| 2000s | 5,670 | No. 384 |
| 2010s | 3,099 | No. 611 |
| 2020s | 1,249 | No. 999 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.