William
Say it: WIL-yam/ˈwɪl.jəm/
BoyMeans from words for "will" and "helmet"7 letters2 syllables
#73
in Ireland (2025)
#76 with spellings combined
81
babies in 2025
#8
best rank (1964)
20,896
babies since 1964
Down 25
10-year rank change
William through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 81 | #76 |
| 2024 | 87 | #69 |
| 2023 | 94 | #69 |
| 2022 | 103 | #69 |
| 2021 | 118 | #59 |
| 2020 | 118 | #53 |
| 2019 | 141 | #51 |
| 2018 | 157 | #48 |
| 2017 | 139 | #54 |
| 2016 | 155 | #50 |
| 2015 | 157 | #51 |
| 2014 | 165 | #50 |
| 2013 | 195 | #43 |
| 2012 | 169 | #51 |
| 2011 | 190 | #47 |
| 2010 | 190 | #47 |
| 2009 | 166 | #55 |
| 2008 | 181 | #46 |
| 2007 | 179 | #44 |
| 2006 | 149 | #50 |
| 2005 | 149 | #51 |
| 2004 | 141 | #54 |
| 2003 | 125 | #55 |
| 2002 | 139 | #49 |
| 2001 | 130 | #52 |
| 2000 | 156 | #46 |
| 1999 | 130 | #50 |
| 1998 | 95 | #57 |
| 1997 | 217 | #39 |
| 1996 | 240 | #36 |
| 1995 | 201 | #38 |
| 1994 | 195 | #42 |
| 1993 | 241 | #35 |
| 1992 | 259 | #29 |
| 1991 | 252 | #33 |
| 1990 | 325 | #23 |
| 1989 | 254 | #33 |
| 1988 | 322 | #26 |
| 1987 | 369 | #23 |
| 1986 | 383 | #21 |
| 1985 | 398 | #21 |
| 1984 | 428 | #18 |
| 1983 | 455 | #16 |
| 1982 | 478 | #17 |
| 1981 | 487 | #16 |
| 1980 | 541 | #14 |
| 1979 | 457 | #16 |
| 1978 | 458 | #16 |
| 1977 | 497 | #15 |
| 1976 | 543 | #12 |
| 1975 | 538 | #13 |
| 1974 | 637 | #11 |
| 1973 | 582 | #13 |
| 1972 | 677 | #10 |
| 1971 | 698 | #10 |
| 1970 | 739 | #8 |
| 1969 | 730 | #8 |
| 1968 | 752 | #8 |
| 1967 | 849 | #8 |
| 1966 | 820 | #8 |
| 1965 | 1,000 | #8 |
| 1964 | 875 | #8 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does William mean?
From words for "will" and "helmet"
Germanic Willahelm, from words for will or desire and for helmet, brought to England by the Normans.
Say it right
WILyam
Also said in three syllables, WIL-ee-am.
The story of William
William comes from the Germanic Willahelm, built from words for will or desire and for helmet. It reached England with the Normans after William the Conqueror’s victory in 1066, and stayed one of the most common English names through the Middle Ages and beyond.
In Irish it became Uilliam, and its clipped form Liam is now far more common in Ireland than William itself. The poet William Butler Yeats, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923, is the best-known Irish William.
William was a top-ten name in Ireland every year from 1964 to 1972. The most boys were named William in 1965, exactly 1,000 of them, when it was number 8. It has slipped steadily since and was number 73 in 2025. In Northern Ireland its highest place was 26th in 1997, the first year of the figures there.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: William (English proper noun)
- Wiktionary: Liam (English and Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: William
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
WillWillieBillBilly
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| William | 81 | 20,896 |
In Northern Ireland
#59 in 2025 with 38 babies. Best rank #26 (1997); 2,153 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.