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Willoughby

UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Willow

Willoughby has been given to 314 babies in the U.S. since 1915. It was used fewer than 5 times in 2025, so it doesn't appear in the latest year's list — today it's a genuinely uncommon pick. Its peak year was 1923, with 15 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 71% boys, 29% girls all-time.

Babies named Willoughby, 2024

1 in 669,000

Willoughby over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
05101518801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Willoughby over time

In 2025, Willoughby went to 100% girls and 0% boys.

19152025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Willoughby: meaning, origin, and history

Willow

surname transfer

What Willoughby means

Willoughby means “willow”, associated with weliġ.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Old English weliġ (“willow”) and Old Norse byr (“settlement”).

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Willoughby (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Willoughby is used in English. Its origins include surname transfer.

Willoughby comes through Old English weliġ and Old Norse byr.

Willoughby is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 223 boys were recorded with the name Willoughby between 1915 and 2024. Its highest annual count was 15 in 1923; its best national rank was #2,220 in 1923.

In the United States, 91 girls were recorded with the name Willoughby between 2000 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 10 in 2020; its best national rank was #10,206 in 2020.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #10,206 in 2020 to #17,130 in 2025.

How common is Willoughby?

Willoughby had fewer than 5 recorded uses in 2025, so these figures use 2024, the last year it was published.

Among all babies, 2024
1 in 669,000
5 of 3,342,801 births
Among boys only
1 in 345,000
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2024
Unranked
Fewer than 5 uses
Coin-flip room size
463,412 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Willoughby sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2024 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 463,412 children born in 2024 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Willoughby. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Willoughbys were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Willoughby was born before 1929 — so the typical Willoughby is around 96 today.

Median birth year
1929
About 96 years old
Biggest decade
1920s
36.8% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
20.6%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
57
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1920s — 36.8% of all recorded uses (82).

Is Willoughby rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
—
Not ranked then
Rank vs 5 years ago
New entry
Not ranked then
Rank vs 10 years ago
—
Not ranked then
Births vs 10 years ago
—
Not published both years
Share of its own peak
0%
Peak was 1923 (15)
Years since peak
102
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Steady
8.5% average annual change
Best rank ever
#2,220
1923

Willoughby around the world

Where Willoughby ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1997–2025
    #2,133
    in 2025
  • South Australia
    1975–2011
    #784
    in 2011

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Willoughby by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
Unranked
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
—
Best rank ever
#2,220
1923
Peak year
1923
15 that year
First recorded
1915
Last recorded
2024
All-time count
223
Count in 2025
Under 5

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#17,130
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 6,924
Best rank ever
#10,206
2020
Peak year
2020
10 that year
First recorded
2000
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
91
Count in 2025
5

Names similar to Willoughby

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

WilliamsonWillliamWillsonWilmanWilianWilverWillfordWilfridoWilkesWilondjaWilbertoWilmontWilberthWillowWilliomWilkinsWillmerWilmarWillettWilbornWildeWillmanWillingtonWilferd

Sibling names for Willoughby

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Willoughby

Top names of 1923, Willoughby's peak yearThe 1920s in fullOther names that peaked in 1923Boys' names starting with WTree Names for Boys