Boy · Germanic, through English
Billy
Say it: BIL-ee
Meaning
A pet form of William, from Germanic wil 'will, desire' + helm 'helmet, protection'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Very common as an independent given name in the US from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Its wave through time
A fashion of the 1930s
In the United States
- 388,529 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1934, about 1 in 108 boys
- 214 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Billie, Billey
Famous bearers
- Billy Graham, American evangelist
- Billy Joel, 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.