boy's name
Bill
BIL
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 162,316
Ireland
#735
2025 births
Bill comes from William, and the B is the point — medieval English made pet names by rhyming, which is why Will became Bill, Rob became Bob and Rick became Dick. Ireland ranks it 735th.
- Bill is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 4,688 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 184,196 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Bill over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 600 |
| 1890s | 789 |
| 1900s | 1,523 |
| 1910s | 6,711 |
| 1920s | 22,495 |
| 1930s | 32,525 |
| 1940s | 37,848 |
| 1950s | 23,909 |
| 1960s | 25,184 |
| 1970s | 5,225 |
| 1980s | 1,820 |
| 1990s | 1,153 |
| 2000s | 845 |
| 2010s | 423 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 140 |
What Bill means
Bill means resolute protection, carried from William. The Germanic joins a word for will or desire to one for a helmet, so the compound is about determined defense.
Where Bill comes from
Bill shortens William, from the Germanic Wilhelm — wil, will or desire, joined to helm, a helmet or protection. The B is not a corruption but a system: medieval English formed pet names by rhyming, so Will gave Bill, Rob gave Bob, Rick gave Dick and Meg gave Peg. Why English did this and other languages largely did not is not settled. William arrived with the Conqueror and became so common that it produced more nicknames than almost any other name, and the sword reading sometimes given comes from confusion with an unrelated Old English word for a blade.
Bill in use
Bill peaked in the United States in 1947, when 4,688 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 735th in Ireland on 4 births, 2533rd in England and Wales on 9 and 5272nd in the United States on 18, across 162,316 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Ireland ranks it more than four thousand places above America.
How popular is Bill?
In 2025, Bill was given to 18 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Bill is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Bill
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bill also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bill over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Bill in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- William
Sibling names for Bill
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bill — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bill
What does the name Bill mean?
Resolute protection, carried from William — wil, will, joined to helm, a helmet.
Why is Bill short for William?
Medieval rhyming nicknames. Will gave Bill the same way Rob gave Bob and Rick gave Dick.
Does Bill mean sword?
No — that comes from confusion with an unrelated Old English word for a blade.
Where is Bill most used?
Ireland at 735th, more than four thousand places above the United States.
How popular is the name Bill?
In 2025, Bill was given to 18 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Bill a girl's or a boy's name?
Bill is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bill?
Bill has 1 syllable.
When was Bill most popular?
Bill peaked in 1947, when 4,688 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Bill a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bill currently ranks #735 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.