Willa

Feminine variation of William

"resolute protection"

Willa Origin and Meaning

The name Willa is a girl's name of German origin meaning "resolute protection".

Willa has become increasingly fashionable, with its combination of Willa (born Wilella) Cather-like pioneer strength and the graceful beauty of the willow tree.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are the latest celebrities to welcome a daughter named Willa. Other stars who used this name include actress Keri Russell, who named her daughter Willa Lou and the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who used Willa for the youngest of his three children. David Mamet and Brian De Palma also have daughters named Willa, plus it's the middle name of Meryl Streep's actress daughter Mary (called Mamie.) Young Willa characters have appears on Six Feet Under and True Blood.

Willa originated as a short form of Wilhelmina. After a half-century hiatus, it reentered the U.S. Top 1000 in 2010 and soared to the Top 500, for the first time since 1949, in 2015. Willa might also work as an honor name for an ancestral William.

Willa Rank in US Top 1000

# 423 in the US

Willa Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 138 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Willa

• 423 US 2024
• 138 Nameberry 2025
• 253 Future 2028
• 991 England 2020

20 Names Similar to Willa

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Willa.

• Elsie
• Maisie
• Margot
• Etta
• Edie
• Ada
• Mae
• Pippa
• Mabel
• Sylvie
• Lottie
• Hattie
• Winnie
• Maeve
• Imogen
• Sloane
• Millie
• Nell
• Margo
• Vera

Famous People Named Willa

• Willa of Tuscany Queen consort of Berengar II of Italy
• Wilella Sibert 'Willa' Cather American novelist
• Willa Joanna Chance Holland American actress; stepdaughter of director Brian De Palma
• Willa Ford (born Amanda Lee Williford) American singer
• Willa Beatrice Brown American aviatrix
• Willa McCord Blake Eslick U.S. Congresswoman from Tennessee
• Willa Fitzgerald American actress
• Willa Holland American actress
• Willa Taylor American actress
• Willa Shalit American entrepreneur; daughter of TV personality Gene Shalit
• Willa Mamet daughter of playwright David Mamet and actress Lindsay Crouse; sister of actress Zosia Mamet
• Willa Baker (b. 1993) daughter of actors Dylan and Becky Ann Baker
• Willa Hoffman (b. 2008) daughter of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman
• Willa Sun Pressnall (b. 2009) daughter of musicians Derek and Jamie Pressnall of Tilly and the Wall
• Willa Lou Deary (b. 2011) daughter of actress Keri Russell
• Willa Jean Batson (b. 2013) daughter of singer Ferraby Lionheart and Dawn Batson
• Willa Getzlaf (b. 2014) daughter of ice hockey player Ryan Getzlaf
• Willa Ashford (b. 2015) daughter of actor Matthew Ashford
• Willa Gray Akins (b. 2017) daughter of singer Thomas Rhett and Laura Akins
• Willa Jonas (b. 2020) daughter of Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas

The name Willa in Pop Culture

• Willa Burrell baby vampire on TV's "True Blood"
• Willa Jean Kemp character in the Ramona Quimby novels by Beverly Cleary
• Willa Jackson main character in "The Peach Keeper" by Sarah Addison Allen
• Isabella "Willa" Angelo character in Ridley Pearson's "Kingdom Keepers"
• Willa Monday character on TV's "The Finder"
• "Willa's Wild Life " animated TV series
• Willa Thirdman character in "Friends and Relations" (1931) by Elizabeth Bowen
• Willa called a "cute name" by Hank Hill of TV's "King of the Hill'
• Willa minor character in George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series
• Willa Fisher Chenowith daughter of Nate & Brenda on TV's "Six Feet Under"
• Willa Penn younger sister of Beverly Penn in book/film "Winter's Tale"
• Willa McPherson character on TV's "Dirt"
• Willa Givens Raylan's daughter on TV show "Justified"
• Willa Warren character on TV's "The Family"
• Willafred (Willa) Havisham main character of "The Wedding Planner's Daughter"
• Willa Earp character on TV's "Wynonna Earp"
• Willa Forsythe character in "Shadows over England" romance series