Williams is a boy name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Williams means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Williams across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Williams has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Williams is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “resolute protector”. A patronymic surname from William used as a given name.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 6,150 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 36 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 Williams per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1950 (86/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (6/yr).
Williams is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1950, when it ranked #1,673 nationally (given to 86 babies that year).
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