How Many People Are Named Willie?
An estimated 219,365 people in the United States have the first name Willie. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #244 overall. It is used for both genders, with 75.5% male. The average bearer is 66 years old, and Willie peaked in popularity in 1925 with 11,071 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Willie as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Willie paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 66, Willie is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1970.
- Willie has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
219,365
About 1 in 1,562 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
75.5% confidence
Average Age
66
years old
Peak Year
1925
11,071 births
Total Registered
596,221
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Willie
Willie is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (75.5%) and females (24.5%). Out of 596,221 total births registered, 450,033 were male and 146,188 were female.
Willie as a male name
Ranked #1,375 in 2024
137 male births in 2024
Peak: 1947 (7,995 births)
Willie as a female name
Ranked #15,100 in 2024
6 female births in 2024
Peak: 1919 (4,051 births)
Willie: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Willie span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 105,807 babies were registered. Willie has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Willie by Decade
How has Willie tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 9,303 | 5,906 | 3,397 | |
| 1890s | 16,958 | 9,849 | 7,109 | |
| 1900s | 30,103 | 17,746 | 12,357 | |
| 1910s | 75,869 | 47,690 | 28,179 | |
| 1920s | 105,807 | 67,993 | 37,814 | |
| 1930s | 86,340 | 62,467 | 23,873 | |
| 1940s | 90,517 | 72,419 | 18,098 | |
| 1950s | 76,520 | 66,461 | 10,059 | |
| 1960s | 43,442 | 39,811 | 3,631 | |
| 1970s | 24,988 | 23,967 | 1,021 | |
| 1980s | 17,350 | 16,892 | 458 | |
| 1990s | 9,847 | 9,715 | 132 | |
| 2000s | 5,173 | 5,155 | 18 | |
| 2010s | 3,149 | 3,129 | 20 | |
| 2020s | 855 | 833 | 22 | |
Willie by State
Birth registrations for Willie span all 49 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi. The lowest are in Wyoming, Rhode Island, Montana. On average, about 10,903 Willies were registered per state.
Willie + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Willie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Willie
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
Willie: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Willie?
We estimate approximately 219,365 people named Willie are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,562 Americans share this first name.
Is Willie a common name?
Willie is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 596,221 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Willie most popular?
Willie reached peak popularity in 1925, when 11,071 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Willie is approximately 66 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Willie a male name?
Willie is predominantly male. 75.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Willie Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Willie Smith, Willie Johnson, Willie Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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