boy's name
Willis
WIL-iss
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 53,763
Scotland
#769
2016 births
Willis means son of Will, and the Will behind it is William — a name so common in medieval England that its diminutives generated a whole family of surnames, of which this is one.
- Willis is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1924, when 1,276 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 63,759 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Willis 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 | 1,393 |
| 1890s | 1,338 |
| 1900s | 1,495 |
| 1910s | 7,495 |
| 1920s | 11,944 |
| 1930s | 8,372 |
| 1940s | 6,261 |
| 1950s | 4,661 |
| 1960s | 3,080 |
| 1970s | 2,213 |
| 1980s | 1,928 |
| 1990s | 1,232 |
| 2000s | 752 |
| 2010s | 660 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 330 |
What Willis means
Willis means son of Will, a short form of William. It is a patronymic surname, so it records descent rather than describing the person carrying it.
Where Willis comes from
Willis is an English surname, son of Will — Will being the universal short form of William, from the Germanic wil, will or desire, joined to helm, a helmet or protection. William arrived with the Conquest and became so common that its pet forms bred surnames on their own: Wilkins, Wilson, Wilkinson and Willis are all descendants of the same first name. The Willis Tower in Chicago carries the surname of an insurance broker, not a builder.
Willis in use
Willis peaked in the United States in 1924, when 1,276 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 2552nd in the United States on 52 births and 4664th in England and Wales on 4, across 53,763 lifetime births in two of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Willis?
In 2025, Willis was given to 52 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Willis 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 Willis
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Willis also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Willis over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Willis
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Willis 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.
Sibling names for Willis
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Willis — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Willis
What does the name Willis mean?
Son of Will — Will being the short form of William.
Which other surnames come from William?
Wilkins, Wilson, Wilkinson and Willis all descend from its pet forms.
What does William mean?
Will-helmet — the Germanic wil, desire, joined to helm, protection.
How popular is Willis?
2552nd in the United States, and stable rather than falling in our data.
Is Willis a girl's or a boy's name?
Willis is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Willis?
Willis has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Willis?
Willis is usually shortened to Will.
Is Willis a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Willis currently ranks #2,552 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.