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Girl or boy · Germanic, through English
Billie
Say it: BIL-ee
Meaning
A pet form of William (and for girls of Wilhelmina), from Germanic wil 'will, desire' + helm 'helmet, protection'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Used for both sexes in the US since the late 19th century, more often for girls since the 1920s.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1930s
In the United States
- 133,559 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1930, about 1 in 347 girls
- 254 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Billy
Famous bearers
- Billie Holiday, American jazz singer
- Billie Jean King, American tennis player
- Billie Eilish, American singer
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.