The name Willoughby is a girl's name of English origin meaning "farm near the willows; willow town".

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With Willow and Willa becoming more popular for girls, surname-style Willoughby could be a more unusual alternative. Meaning "farm near the willows" or "willow town", depending on how you interpret its second element, Willoughby could offer the same unisex appeal as Bellamy, Avery, and Emory.
 
In recent years, the name has been used rarely, but slightly more often for girls, with 48 receiving the name in the US in the first half of the 2020s. For boys, it was given 12 times for comparison, making it four times less popular.. 
 
Regardless of the current stats. the full form sounds appropriate for both genders, and offers a variety of nicknames including Willa, Willow, Bee, or Billie.

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Willoughby

English

The name Willoughby peaked for girls at #10194 in 2024. Willoughby is occasionally used for boys in 2024.

Willow

The name Willoughby is a boy's name of English origin meaning "farm near the willows; willow town".

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Energetic Willoughby is a familiar last name, but, as yet, makes for a unique choice in the first spot. An unexpected way to get to popular short forms Will and Billy, Willoughby could make an interesting alternative to William.
 
Despite its similarities to the popular classic, Willoughby has a different meaning and origin to the Germanic William. Derived from Old English and Old Norse, it means "farm near the willows" or perhaps "willow town" if you interpret the second element of the name as meaning "settlement". Outdoorsy and nature-connected, Willoughby may appeal to those who like Barnaby and Zebedee. 
 Willoughby Patterne is the protagonist of the George Meredith novel, The Egotist, while Willoughby Sharp was a contemporary artist, curator, critic and founder of the seminal art magazine, Avalanche. There is a classic 1962 British children's novel titled The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken that was made into a film in 1989.
 
The name was also selected by British reality TV star, Lucy Watson, for her son born in 2023.

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The name Willoughby peaked for boys at #2221 in 1923. Willoughby is occasionally used for girls in 2025.

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