How popular is the baby name William in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name William.

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Popularity of the baby name William


Posts that mention the name William

Popular baby names in Canada, 2023

Flag of Canada
Flag of Canada

In June of 2023, the population of Canada finally reached 40 million.

Included in that count were roughly half of the 351,477* babies born in Canada last year.

And what were the most popular names among those newborns? Olivia and Noah, yet again.

Here are Canada’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 1,650 baby girls
  2. Emma, 1,416
  3. Charlotte, 1,412
  4. Amelia, 1,102
  5. Sophia, 1,051
  6. Mia, 924
  7. Chloe, 920
  8. Mila, 915
  9. Sofia, 887
  10. Alice, 793
  11. Ava, 772
  12. Lily, 766
  13. Isla, 759
  14. Ellie, 700
  15. Evelyn, 698
  16. Zoe, 697
  17. Nora, 681
  18. Sophie, 675
  19. Maya, 667
  20. Charlie, 647
  21. Violet, 626
  22. Aria, 613
  23. Florence, 611 (tie)
  24. Isabella, 611 (tie)
  25. Abigail, 608
  26. Ella, 599
  27. Emily, 588
  28. Hannah, 578 (tie)
  29. Hazel, 578 (tie)
  30. Elizabeth, 571
  31. Clara, 562
  32. Rose, 540
  33. Ivy, 533 (tie)
  34. Luna, 533 (tie)
  35. Eva, 527
  36. Eleanor, 503
  37. Harper, 487
  38. Aurora, 475
  39. Avery, 468
  40. Maeve, 462
  41. Victoria, 461
  42. Scarlett, 449
  43. Grace, 447
  44. Emilia, 440
  45. Layla, 432 (tie)
  46. Zoey, 432 (tie)
  47. Elena, 423
  48. Sarah, 419
  49. Livia, 416
  50. Julia, 415

Boy names

  1. Noah, 2,162 baby boys
  2. Liam, 1,813
  3. Theodore, 1,484
  4. Leo, 1,416
  5. William, 1,341
  6. Oliver, 1,245
  7. Lucas, 1,184
  8. Thomas, 1,154
  9. Benjamin, 1,134
  10. Jack, 1,132
  11. James, 1,122
  12. Jacob, 1,086
  13. Ethan, 1,012
  14. Nathan, 1,009
  15. Adam, 969
  16. Henry, 943
  17. Theo, 900
  18. Logan, 891
  19. Owen, 852
  20. Arthur, 818
  21. Levi, 816
  22. Jackson, 767
  23. Luca, 753
  24. Gabriel, 710
  25. Felix, 683
  26. Hudson 659
  27. Charles, 657
  28. Maverick, 649
  29. Daniel, 635
  30. Louis, 623
  31. Muhammad, 619
  32. Samuel, 614
  33. Elijah, 596
  34. Alexander, 588
  35. Caleb, 578
  36. Mason, 566
  37. Nolan, 552
  38. Isaac, 545
  39. Jayden, 531
  40. Aiden, 514
  41. Ryan, 512
  42. Edouard, 502
  43. Mateo, 496
  44. Miles, 490
  45. Michael, 485
  46. Luke, 481
  47. David, 477
  48. Matteo, 474
  49. Bennett, 469 (tie)
  50. Elliot, 469 (tie)

(The #1 names were the same in Alberta, but not in Quebec.)

Among Canada’s fastest-rising baby names were the girl names Sofia, Lainey, and Maeve and the boy names Zorawar, Myles, and Henry.

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a selection of the baby names that were given to just 5 babies each in Canada last year:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Audelie, Brie, Celestia, Dasha, Evaluna, Fawn, Gretchen, Harseerat, Icelynn, Jaylah, Kismet, Leony, Melona, Nimar, Ozalee, Philomene, Richelle, Scotia, Twila, Vedika, Walker, Yi, ZirwaAeson, Banner, Chesky, Deedar, Eloic, Fitzroy, Gohan, Huck, Ilay, Jibrael, Kebron, Lemmy, Masten, Noble, Omid, Poyraz, Rantegh, Scottie, Tao, Veeran, Willard, Yichen, Zuhair

Finally, here are Canada’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

*Total excludes babies born in Yukon.

Sources: First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators – Statistics Canada, Canada’s population reaches 40 million – Statistics Canada, The Daily – Births and stillbirths, 2023 – Statistics Canada

Image: Adapted from Flag of Canada (public domain)

Popular baby names in Denmark, 2023

Flag of Denmark
Flag of Denmark

Last year, the Nordic country of Denmark welcomed 57,469 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Frida and Carl.

Here are Denmark’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Frida, 425 baby girls
  2. Luna, 412
  3. Ella, 410
  4. Alma, 409
  5. Emma, 402
  6. Sofia, 397
  7. Olivia, 395
  8. Agnes, 392
  9. Ida, 391
  10. Karla, 381
  11. Ellie, 380
  12. Clara, 379
  13. Freja, 343
  14. Nora, 331
  15. Lily, 326
  16. Alberte, 316 (tie)
  17. Esther, 316 (tie)
  18. Asta, 296
  19. Ellen, 284
  20. Anna, 282
  21. Aya, 246
  22. Isabella, 228
  23. Lærke, 213 – the Danish word for “lark” (the type of bird)
  24. Astrid, 212
  25. Saga, 210
  26. Hannah, 209
  27. Mathilde, 207
  28. Josefine, 205
  29. Laura, 203
  30. Vilma, 200
  31. Emily, 197 (tie)
  32. Liva, 197 (tie)
  33. Maja, 196
  34. Vera, 187
  35. Marie, 181
  36. Leonora, 178 (tie)
  37. Mille, 178 (tie)
  38. Andrea, 173
  39. Solveig, 166
  40. Molly, 164
  41. Victoria, 163
  42. Merle, 149
  43. Lea, 148
  44. Liv, 146
  45. Eva, 140 (tie)
  46. Ingrid, 140 (tie)
  47. Elina, 137 (tie)
  48. Rosa, 137 (tie)
  49. Gry, 130
  50. Sofie, 125

Boy names

  1. Carl, 477 baby boys
  2. William, 458
  3. Oscar, 452
  4. Alfred, 449 (tie)
  5. Noah, 449 (tie)
  6. Aksel, 441
  7. Emil, 430
  8. Oliver, 423
  9. Malthe, 403
  10. Valdemar, 392
  11. August, 377
  12. Elliot, 370
  13. Theo, 351
  14. Arthur, 346
  15. Lucas, 335
  16. Elias, 324
  17. Lauge, 323
  18. Otto, 319
  19. Hugo, 309
  20. Felix, 285
  21. Magnus, 279
  22. Viggo, 270
  23. Victor, 269
  24. Theodor, 257
  25. Loui, 255
  26. Holger, 249
  27. Anker, 245 (tie)
  28. Liam, 245 (tie)
  29. Anton, 243
  30. Matheo, 230
  31. Konrad, 227
  32. Erik, 214
  33. Pelle, 202
  34. Luca, 198
  35. Asger, 197
  36. Ebbe, 195
  37. Nohr, 194 (tie)
  38. Vincent, 194 (tie)
  39. Kalle, 190
  40. Adam, 181
  41. Johan, 173
  42. Frederik, 165 (tie)
  43. Storm, 165 (tie)
  44. Albert, 159
  45. Walter, 156
  46. Alexander, 154
  47. Christian, 151
  48. Villads, 146
  49. Leo, 142
  50. Marius, 138

The top names of 2022, Ella and William, are now in third place and second place, respectively.

The word-name Storm has ranked inside the boys’ top 50 since 2010. (In the U.S., Storm is given to both boys and girls, but has never come close to top-50 status for either gender.)

Sources: Baby names – Statistics Denmark, Births – Statistics Denmark

Image: Adapted from Flag of Denmark (public domain)

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2023

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

Last year, the island nation of New Zealand welcomed a total of 57,889 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Charlotte and Noah.

Here are New Zealand’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Charlotte, 209 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 184
  3. Isla, 179
  4. Olivia, 155
  5. Harper, 150
  6. Willow, 145
  7. Lily, 144
  8. Ava, 143 (tie)
  9. Ella, 143 (tie)
  10. Hazel, 141
  11. Mila, 138
  12. Evelyn, 135 (3-way tie)
  13. Mia, 135 (3-way tie)
  14. Sophie, 135 (3-way tie)
  15. Isabella, 130
  16. Aria, 125
  17. Ruby, 122
  18. Grace, 121
  19. Millie, 119
  20. Florence, 110
  21. Lucy, 108
  22. Ivy, 105
  23. Chloe, 101
  24. Zoe, 100
  25. Maeve, 98
  26. Daisy, 96
  27. Matilda, 95
  28. Sadie, 93 (tie)
  29. Sophia, 93 (tie)
  30. Emily, 92 (3-way tie)
  31. Freya, 92 (3-way tie)
  32. Luna, 92 (3-way tie)
  33. Olive, 88
  34. Georgia, 82 (tie)
  35. Maia, 82 (tie)
  36. Poppy, 81
  37. Frankie, 80 (tie)
  38. Violet, 80 (tie)
  39. Mackenzie, 79
  40. Ellie, 78
  41. Riley, 77
  42. Aurora, 76
  43. Bella, 74
  44. Madison, 70 (tie)
  45. Penelope, 70 (tie)
  46. Kaia, 69 (tie)
  47. Zara, 69 (tie)
  48. Billie, 68 (tie)
  49. Quinn, 68 (tie)
  50. Layla, 67

Boy names

  1. Noah, 267 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 247
  3. Luca, 207
  4. Jack, 194
  5. Leo, 189
  6. Theodore, 186
  7. George, 177
  8. Henry, 172
  9. Charlie, 163
  10. Hudson, 162
  11. Arthur, 158
  12. Arlo, 156
  13. Elijah, 153
  14. William, 147
  15. James, 146 (tie)
  16. Lucas, 146 (tie)
  17. Liam, 143
  18. Thomas, 142
  19. Theo, 135
  20. Oscar, 131
  21. Cooper, 122
  22. Beau, 119
  23. Hugo, 115
  24. Ethan, 114
  25. Ezra, 113 (tie)
  26. Mason, 113 (tie)
  27. Archie, 111 (tie)
  28. Levi, 111 (tie)
  29. Max, 110
  30. Carter, 106
  31. Felix, 105 (tie)
  32. Finn, 105 (tie)
  33. Alexander, 102
  34. Lachlan, 97
  35. Asher, 90 (3-way tie)
  36. Hunter, 90 (3-way tie)
  37. Louie, 90 (3-way tie)
  38. Luke, 87
  39. Benjamin, 84
  40. Harry, 83
  41. Jackson, 82
  42. Archer, 81
  43. Micah, 79 (tie)
  44. Riley, 79 (tie)
  45. Caleb, 78 (3-way tie)
  46. Isaac, 78 (3-way tie)
  47. Louis, 78 (3-way tie)
  48. Austin, 77
  49. Luka, 75
  50. Samuel, 74

And what about Maori names specifically?

Currently, the top Maori baby names in New Zealand are Aroha/Te Aroha for girls and Ariki/Te Ariki for boys. In Maori, the word aroha means “love” or “affection,” the word ariki means “chieftain” or “leader,” and the word te (in these two cases) is the article “the.”

Here are New Zealand’s top 10 Maori girl names and top 10 Maori boy names:

Maori girl names

  1. Aroha/Te Aroha, 164 baby girls
  2. Amaia, 110
  3. Maia, 103
  4. Anahera, 85
  5. Moana, 70
  6. Manaia, 68
  7. Ataahua, 54
  8. Marama, 51
  9. Atarangi, 41
  10. Tui, 39

Maori boy names

  1. Ariki/Te Ariki, 111 baby boys
  2. Wiremu, 86
  3. Rawiri, 80
  4. Mikaere, 65
  5. Nikau, 63
  6. Koa, 62 (tie)
  7. Manaia, 62 (tie)
  8. Manaaki, 59
  9. Kiwa, 45 (tie)
  10. Kaitoa, 45 (tie)

Please note that the Maori rankings don’t cover the calendar year 2023, as the national rankings do. Instead, they cover births from July 10, 2023, to June 30, 2024. (These dates coincide with Matariki, a.k.a. Maori New Year.)

Finally, here’s a link to New Zealand’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

P.S. Did you know that New Zealand’s closest geographic neighbor in the Pacific is New Caledonia (to the north)?

Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Most common Maori baby names in 2023/24 released for Matariki – Te Ao Maori News, Te Aka Maori Dictionary, New Caledonia – New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Baby born into Hogg family, named Ima

Texas philanthropist Ima Hogg (1882-1975)
Ima Hogg

Arts patron and philanthropist Ima Hogg was born in Mineola, Texas, in 1882.

Her parents were Sarah Ann Stinson and James Stephen Hogg — who became the attorney general of Texas in the late 1880s, then the first native-born governor of Texas in the early 1890s.

Ima’s birth occurred a couple of years after the death of Jim’s older brother, lawyer and writer Thomas Elisha Hogg. Tom had become Jim’s legal guardian (and father figure) in the mid-1860s.

In honor of his late brother, Jim Hogg decided to call his baby girl Ima, which was a name Tom had used for a female character in his Civil War poem The Fate of Marvin (1873). Here’s an excerpt:

A Southern girl, whose winsome grace
And kindly, gentle mien betrayed
A heart more beauteous than her face.
Ah! she was fair: the Southern skies
were typed in Ima’s heavenly eyes; …

(Notably, the poem featured two female characters. The second was Ima’s sister, Lelia.)

Ima Hogg, who had no middle name, later recalled: “Grandfather Stinson lived fifteen miles from Mineola and news traveled slowly. When he learned of his granddaughter’s name he came trotting to town as fast as he could to protest, but it was too late. The christening had taken place and Ima I was to remain.”

Throughout her life, Ima Hogg put a great deal of effort into downplaying her name. She had a “distinctive signature that rendered the first part [of her name] almost illegible,” for instance, and she used either “Miss Hogg” or “I. Hogg” on her personal stationery. Among acquaintances, she was known simply as “Miss Ima.”

In her early 90s, Miss Ima remarked to a friend, “You know, if I had been born in Scotland, my name would probably have been Imogene.”

Not long afterward, she began to call herself Imogene. The whimsical name change was a well-kept secret. Even some of the people closest to her never knew it, but her last passport was issued to Ima Imogene Hogg.

Ima Hogg passed away in 1975. Contrary to persistent rumors, she never had a sister named “Ura.” In fact, she never had any sisters at all — just three brothers: William Clifford, Michael Stephen, and Thomas Elisha. (William’s middle name honored his mother’s half-sister Clifford, who went by “Cliffie.”)

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Ima Hogg