Willa is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Willa means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Willa across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Willa has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Willa is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “resolute protection”. A feminine form of William, from wil meaning will and helm meaning helmet.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 32,848 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 568 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 14 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 7 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Willa per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2019 (889/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (57/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2018 (4/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2019 (4/yr).
Willa has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2019, when it ranked #724 nationally (given to 933 babies that year).
Willie · Ella · Isla · Will · Willow · Ila · Iola · Wiley
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