Where does the name Bill come from?

Bill is a boy name of Germanic origin.

Is Bill a boy or a girl name?

Bill is overwhelmingly a boy name in the United States. Of the 160,434 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are boys.

How popular is the name Bill in 2023?

Bill ranks #4621 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1947 with 4,681 babies.

How do you pronounce Bill?

Bill is pronounced BIL (1 syllable).

What are common spellings of Bill?

Bill is also written as Billy, Billie, William.

A name from Germanic · Boy

Bill

A short form of William, from Germanic wil ('will, desire') + helm ('helmet, protection'); 'resolute protector'. The B-form arose because of medieval English rhyming nickname conventions (Will / Bill).

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

160,434 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

22 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

BA short form of William, from Germanic wil ('will, desire') + helm ('helmet, protection'); 'resolute protector'. The B-form arose because of medieval English rhyming nickname conventions (Will / Bill).

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Bill".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Billy Most common Billie William

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Bill.

B
Bill Gates (Microsoft co-founder)
B
Bill Clinton (42nd U.S. president)
B
Bill Murray (actor)

Quick answers

People often ask about Bill.

What does the name Bill mean?: Bill means a short form of William, from Germanic wil ('will, desire') + helm ('helmet, protection'); 'resolute protector'. The B-form arose because of medieval English rhyming nickname conventions (Will / Bill).
Where does the name Bill come from?: Bill is a boy name of Germanic origin.
Is Bill a boy or a girl name?: Bill is overwhelmingly a boy name in the United States. Of the 160,434 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are boys.
How popular is the name Bill in 2023?: Bill ranks #4621 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1947 with 4,681 babies.
How do you pronounce Bill?: Bill is pronounced BIL (1 syllable).
What are common spellings of Bill?: Bill is also written as Billy, Billie, William.

Similar names

If you love Bill, also consider…

Robert

#88

Boy ·Germanic

Bright fame; from 'hrod' (fame) and 'beraht' (bright)

From Old High German Ricohard — rīc, "ruler, power," + hard, "brave, strong" — i

Ruler of the home; estate ruler

Walter

#267

Boy ·Germanic

From Old High German Walthari — wald, "rule," + hari, "army" — i

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.