William

Gender Usage of the Name William

Overall Gender Classification Methodology

William is overwhelmingly used as a name for boys. Approximately 99.76% of recorded bearers are male. This classification is supported by extensive records and is considered highly reliable.

Popularity of the Name William

William is among the Top 32 Trending Boys’ name in Australia for 2026

• Worldwide

  #7 Boy’s name (2025)

• • United States

    #9 Boy’s name (2025)

  • United Kingdom

    #352 Boy’s name (2025)

  • Canada

    #4 Boy’s name (2024)

  • Australia

    #7 Boy’s name (2025)

Note: Green bars show popularity (% of births); the violet line shows historical ranking. Data is based on official government birth records. Click any chart to view details by year and region.

Overall PopularityMethodology

William is listed under Popular Boy Names worldwide. Its popularity is relatively consistent across the available regional markets.

Ranking OverviewMethodology

William ranked #7 on the Popular Boys’ Names Worldwide List (2025). Its rank is unchanged from 2024. A perennial favorite, William has remained a consistent Top-10 choice in recent years.

Historically, its best recorded position was #1, achieved in multiple years (2005–2017) — 13 years total. Its lowest recorded position was #30 in 1980. Over the last 5 years (2020–2025) the name shown little net change (from #3 to #7).

Name StyleMethodology

Characteristics of the Name William

Pronunciation & StructureMethodology

Phonetic Source

CMU

Syllables

2 syllables — Two-Syllable Boy Names

Length

7 letters — Long Boy Names

Starts with

W — Boy Names Starting with W

Ends with

m — Boy Names Ending in “m”

Name AestheticMethodology

William consists of two syllables with an initial stress, creating an enduring and balanced phonetic form. William the Conqueror and William Shakespeare provide the cultural weight necessary to ground its Elegant & Timeless character. The consistent usage by British monarchs further solidifies its historical continuity.

Middle Names For William

Middle names used with WilliamMethodology

William is most frequently used with these boy middle names: William Thomas · William Edward · William Joseph · William David · William HenryView all 2,537 boy middle names.

• Total 6,831 middle names used with William
• 1,635 girl middle names used with William
• 2,244 unisex middle names used with William

Middle name suggestions for WilliamMethodology

Based on observed first-middle-name pattern combinations, William is most frequently associated with boy middle names that have 2 syllables, Strong–Weak stress pattern, 5 letters, and a starting sound of “j”.

Examples: William Jacob · William Jason · William Jesus · William Jerry · William Jared. View all 114 suggested middle names.

Names Similar to William

Sound Like William Finder

Names with the exact same overall pronunciation and sound: Willem · Willam · Wiliam · View all 12 names

Spelled Like William Finder

Names with similar spelling patterns and letter sequences: Willilam · Willliam · Williame · View all 9 names

Same Starting Sound Finder

Names that begin with a similar phonetic sound: Walter · Willie · Wayne · View all Top 100 names

Rhymes With William Finder

Names that share similar ending sounds and rhymes: Adam · Liam · Jerome · View all Top 100 names

Same Rhythm & Syllables Finder

Names with matching syllable stress and pronunciation rhythm: Robert · Michael · David · View all Top 100 names

Dictionary & Etymology of “William”

Dictionary Meaning of "William"Methodology

• A male given name from the Germanic languages popular since the Norman Conquest

  Examples

  • This name hath been most common in England since King William the Conquerour, insomuch that upon a festival day in the Court of King Henry the Second, when Sir William Saint-John, and Sir William Fitz-Hamon, especial Officers, had commanded that none but of the name of William should dine in the great Chamber with them, they were accompanied with a hundred and twenty Williams.
  • But we have known Williams and Richards, names not found in sacred story, but familiar to our country, prove as gracious saints as any Safe deliverance, Fight the good fight of faith, or such like,

• A surname

Translations

The name William has 105 translations, for example: in Spanish it is rendered as male given name, etc..

More Info

How to Spell William in ASL

• W
• i
• l
• l
• i
• a
• m

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