How Many People Are Named Willoughby?
An estimated 157 people in the United States have the first name Willoughby. It is used for both genders, with 72.2% male. The average bearer is 21 years old, and Willoughby peaked in popularity in 2021 with 17 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Willoughby as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Willoughby paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Willoughby has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
157
About 1 in 2,183,149 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
72.2% confidence
Average Age
21
years old
Peak Year
2021
17 births
Total Registered
309
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Willoughby
Willoughby is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (72.2%) and females (27.8%). Out of 309 total births registered, 223 were male and 86 were female.
Willoughby as a male name
Ranked #14,119 in 2024
5 male births in 2024
Peak: 1923 (15 births)
Willoughby as a female name
Ranked #10,194 in 2024
10 female births in 2024
Peak: 2020 (10 births)
Willoughby in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 328 people with the first name Willoughby, which placed it at #27,750 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Willoughby was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 328 people with this name in that snapshot, 68.0% were male and 32.0% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 72.2% of the time.
Census Count
328
people with this name
Census Rank
#27,750
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.11
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Willoughby was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (77.41%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (10.24%) and Hispanic (5.42%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Willoughby in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Willoughby.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 77.41% | 257 |
| Black | 10.24% | 34 |
| Hispanic | 5.42% | 18 |
| Two or More Races | 5.12% | 17 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.51% | 5 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.30% | 1 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Willoughby: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Willoughby span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 8 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 82 babies were registered. While Willoughby is less common than at its peak in the 1920s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Willoughby by Decade
How has Willoughby 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.
Willoughby + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Willoughby as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Willoughby
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
Willoughby: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Willoughby?
We estimate approximately 157 people named Willoughby 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 2,183,149 Americans share this first name.
Is Willoughby a common name?
Willoughby is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 70.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 309 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Willoughby most popular?
Willoughby reached peak popularity in 2021, when 17 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Willoughby is approximately 21 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Willoughby in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 328 people with the first name Willoughby. That placed it at #27,750 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.11 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Willoughby was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Willoughby?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Willoughby was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 68.0% male and 32.0% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Willoughby?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Willoughby was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (77.41%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (10.24%) and Hispanic (5.42%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Willoughby a male name?
Willoughby is predominantly male. 72.2% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Willoughby have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Willoughby peaked in 2021, and the average living bearer is about 21 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Willoughby Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Willoughby Smith, Willoughby Johnson, Willoughby 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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