Willoughby
Below 5 births
About Willoughby
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.
Pronounced WIL-uh-bee.
As of October 2026, Willoughby ranked #14119 in US births in 2024 SSA, peaked at #2221 in 1923.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Willoughby.
- Kekoa
- Pim
- Earnest
- Guthrie
- Ludo
- Pippin
- Gulliver
- Jem
- Montague
- Merle
- Zebedee
- Woodrow
- Raido
- Elwood
- Grover
- Newt
- Namor
- Pip
- Irving
- Florence
Willoughby on lists
Famous Willoughbys
- Willoughby Hickman
three British baronets
- Willoughby Williams
American Revolutionary soldier and politician
- Willoughby Williams
Jr., American banker and sheriff
- Willoughby Sharp
American artist
- (Charles) Willoughby Moke Norrie
1st Baron Norrie, British soldier; Governor of South Australia, 8th Governor,General of New Zealand
- Willoughby Merrik Campbell Burrell
5th Baron Gwydyr, British soldier
Willoughby in pop culture
- Willoughby
character on TV's "Don't Trust the B,,,, in Apartment 23"
- John Willoughby
character in "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen
- Sir Clement Willoughby
character in "Evelina" by Fanny Burney
- Sir Willoughby Patterne
character in "The Egoist" by George Meredith
- "The Stop at Willoughby
" episode of TV series "The Twilight Zone"