Will
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Will
Will has definitely replaced Bill, not only as a nickname for William but as a stand-alone name as well, partly thanks to England's Prince William, also known as Wills. Currently outside the Top 1000 in the US and the UK, it wouldn't feel totally out of style.
Will for boys#1195 US
Will maintains a nice old-fashioned, down-home charm, and with recent references such as Will Smith, Good Will Hunting, and Will and Grace, it has taken on an air of understated cool.
Most celebrities known as Will were christened William—Shakespeare, legendary humorist Rogers, cartoonist Eisner, and actor Arnett—but others were not. Will Smith was born Willard and Will Ferrell was originally John William.
A key character on Glee was Will Schuester.
Will for girls
Will as a feminine name represents an interesting gender crossover from its traditional masculine usage. Typically a diminutive of William (meaning 'resolute protector'), Will has occasionally been embraced as a short form for feminine names like Wilhelmina, Willa, or Willow. This concise, strong name carries associations of determination and self-assurance—qualities reflected in its literal meaning. The trend of traditionally male names crossing gender boundaries has gained momentum in recent decades, with Will embodying this movement. Though still quite rare for girls, Will offers a distinctive option for parents seeking a name that's both familiar and unexpected. Its simplicity and strength make it appealing as both a given name and nickname.
Pronounced WIL.
As of October 2026, Will ranked #1195 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #25 in 1882, Nameberry popularity #794.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #755 | 313 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #834 | 270 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #825 | 277 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #900 | 239 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #896 | 242 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #983 | 217 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #942 | 234 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #1,074 | 199 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #1,161 | 178 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #1,139 | 185 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #1,283 | 153 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #1,195 | 170 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Will for boys
Similar names
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Will on lists
Famous Wills
- William Penn Adair "Will" RogersBoy
American actor and comedian
- Willard Carroll "Will" SmithBoy
American actor and rapper
- John William "Will" FerrellBoy
American actor and comedian
- William Emerson "Will" ArnettBoy
American actor
- William Rankin "Will" PattonBoy
American actor
- William Donald "Will" GriggBoy
Northern Irish footballer
- William Robert "Will" YoungBoy
English singer,songwriter
- William Nuschler "Will" ClarkBoy
American baseball player
- Orville Willis "Will" ForteBoy
American actor and comedian
- Will Geer (born William Aughe Ghere)Boy
American actor
- William David "Will" JohnsonBoy
Canadian soccer player
- William Jack "Will" PoulterBoy
English actor
- William Woodard "Will" SelfBoy
English novelist
- Wilbur H. "Will" JenningsBoy
American songwriter
- William "Will" ChampionBoy
English drummer of band Coldplay
- William Harrison "Will" HaysBoy
American politician who enacted the Hays Code
- Will AllenBoy
American NFL player
- William "Will" SassoBoy
Candian actor and comedian
- William Ballard "Will" HurdBoy
U.S. Congressman from Texas
Will in pop culture
- William "Will" HalsteadBoy
character on TV's Chicago Med.
- Will HuntingBoy
main character in film "Good Will Hunting"
- William "Will" TrumanBoy
character on TV's Will and Grace
- William "Will" TurnerBoy
a main character in the Pirates of the Caribbean films
- Will GrahamBoy
character on TV's Hannibal
- WillBoy
character in the Divergent trilogy
- Will ScarletBoy
one of Robin Hood's Merry Men
- William Harold Ryan "Will" MunsonBoy
character in American soap opera, As The World Turns
- Wilbur "Will" TrentBoy
character in the series by Karin Slaughter
- William Michael "Will" SchuesterBoy
character on TV's "Glee"
- Will ParryBoy
character in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy
- William "Will" HerondaleBoy
character in the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare
- Will SolaceBoy
character in the 'Heroes of Olympus' series (Rick Riordan)
- William "Will" LawsonBoy
character in the novel "Cursed" by Elise Noble
- Will TreatyBoy
main character in John Flanagan's series "Ranger's Apprentice"
- Will BrianBoy
character in "Sufficiently Remarkable"
- Will TippinBoy
character on TV's Alias
- Will GraysonBoy
name shared by the main characters in John Green and David Levithan's Will Grayson, Will Grayson
- WillBoy
character on TV's "The Fosters"
- Will ByersBoy
a character on TV's "Stranger Things"
- Will BelmontBoy
a character on TV's "Scream"
- Will LamontagneBoy
character on TV's "Criminal Minds"
- Will YoungerBoy
character in film "How It Ends"
- Will MunsonBoy
character on "X,Men"
- Wilhelmina/Wilma "Will" VandomBoy
female Guardian of Quintessence in "W.I.T.C.H" series
- Will MysteryBoy
researcher of Fantasy lands in the Thea Stilton books
- Will BenjaminBoy
character on TV's "H2O: Just Add Water"
- WillBoy
character in the Pokémon video game series
- Will CloudBoy
character in movie "Cloud 9"