Given name & surname

Wil

Wil is a masculine given name. It is used in English and Welsh.

Meaning & origin

A reliable meaning for Wil isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1953. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Wil through the years

Babies since 1880
1,094
1,094 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
2005
48 babies
2025
5
#13,797 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−32%
Easing
01020301960198020002025Highest share 20052.9
Wil in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1953–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,797 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 32.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 48 in 2005. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,128 as a first name in 2020; 214 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Wil’s family of names

In Welsh usage, Wil has a diminutive in Wili. In English usage, Wil has a related form in Will. In Welsh usage, Wil was borrowed from the English form Will.

Walk Wil’s family in the name graph

WilWylWillWiliWilemWilken

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 2

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Across languages 2

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

See also 1

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

Similar names

If you love Wil, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

 

Ty

“from Owen's land” · “tiler of roofs”

52UncommonEasing

99% boys · 1% girls

Hebrew · Virtue

Saul

“one who was prayed for”

58FamiliarSteady

>99% boys

Hebrew

Misael

“who is what God is?”

54UncommonRising

>99% boys

Hebrew · Biblical

Israel

“he who strives with God” · “God perseveres”

67FamiliarEasing

96% boys · 4% girls

 

Ignacio

“a fiery man; one who is ardent”

52UncommonRising

>99% boys

Hebrew · Biblical

Uriel

“the angel of light”

62FamiliarSteady

98% boys · 2% girls

Spanish · Timeless

Manuel

“God is with us”

64FamiliarEasing

>99% boys

English · Modern

Brayan

Brayan is a masculine given name from English. It is used in Spanish and Azerbaijani.

53UncommonSteady

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share Wil’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Wil