Billy Name Meaning, Popularity and Origins
Origin:
English
Gender Distribution:
99% Masculine / 1% Feminine
Meaning:
Billy is a nickname for the name William and means 'willful protector'.
Meaning of the Name Billy
Billy is a diminutive form of the name William. It originated in England and is commonly used as a nickname for someone named William. The name William comes from the Germanic elements 'wil', meaning 'will, desire', and 'helm', meaning 'helmet, protection'. So the name Billy can be interpreted to mean 'willful protector'.
Popularity of the Name Billy
The popularity for the name Billy peaked in popularity in the year 1934 with 9,562 births, which ranked number 36 out of 8,191 unique names for that year. Billy had the most female births in 1930 with 166, which ranked number 526 out of 5,247 female names for that year, and had the most male births in 1934 with 9,562, which ranked number 20 out of 4,206 male names for that year. The number of births for the name Billy has declined sharply over the last ten years from 362 births to 231 births, a decline of -36.19%. Among males, Billy has declined sharply in popularity over the last ten years from 356 births to 215 births, a decline of -39.61%. Among females, Billy has increased sharply in popularity over the last ten years from 6 births to 16 births, an increase of 166.67%.
Nationwide Popularity of Billy
- 20 Year Trend of Billy: -60.31%
- 10 Year Trend of Billy: -36.19%
- 10 Year Male Trend of Billy: -39.61%
- 10 Year Female Trend of Billy: 166.67%
Popularity of Billy by State
For males, Billy was most popular in Southeastern states with 65 births in the region. It was most commonly seen in TX, with 28 male births. See below for a full state by state breakdown of the name Billy. States with less than five births recorded will not be shown.
| State | Male Births | Male Gender Rank | Female Births | Female Gender Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | 8 | 557 | < 5 | N/A |
| AZ | 6 | 816 | < 5 | N/A |
| CA | 24 | 935 | < 5 | N/A |
| FL | 12 | 1049 | < 5 | N/A |
| GA | 8 | 1006 | < 5 | N/A |
| IL | 6 | 1150 | < 5 | N/A |
| KY | 9 | 447 | < 5 | N/A |
| MI | 7 | 901 | < 5 | N/A |
| MO | 7 | 699 | < 5 | N/A |
| MS | 7 | 411 | < 5 | N/A |
| NY | 9 | 1212 | < 5 | N/A |
| OK | 6 | 589 | < 5 | N/A |
| PA | 6 | 1099 | < 5 | N/A |
| SC | 5 | 733 | < 5 | N/A |
| TN | 11 | 609 | < 5 | N/A |
| TX | 28 | 878 | < 5 | N/A |
| VA | 5 | 1074 | < 5 | N/A |
2024 Popularity Projections for Billy
- Total Births of Billy: 221 (-4.39%)
- Male Births of Billy: 204 (-4.92%)
- Female Births of Billy: 18 (10.31%)
Given the downward trend of Billy over the last 10 years, we expect this to continue in 2024 with roughly a -4.39% decrease in total births, for a total of 221 births in 2024. Male births for Billy have been decreasing over the past decade, so we anticipate roughly 204 male births in 2024, a decrease of -4.92%. For Females, births for Billy have been increasing over the past 10 years, and we expect roughly 18 female births in 2024, an increase of 10.31%.