Given name & surname
Willis
“will”·“desire”·“helmet”
Willis is a variant of William. William’s elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Willis is a variant of William. William’s elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Willis is a variant of William. William is an English form of a Germanic name brought to England by the Normans.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Willis is a variant of William. The shared background comes through William: William joins the Germanic elements wil and helm. The second element began with the concrete image of a helmet and also carried the broader idea of protection.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Willis is a variant of William. The history of William gives this family its wider story. William spread widely in England after the Norman Conquest, among people beyond the Norman ruling class. William remained prominent through the Middle Ages and became a royal name in England, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Willis through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 53,154
- 52,336 boys · 818 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 1,276 babies
- 2025
- 52
- #2,567 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 52 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,567 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,261 in 1924. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,367 as a first name in 2020; 125,122 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.
Willis’s family of names
Willis has a related form in William. In English usage, Willis has a conventional equivalent in the German form Wilhelm. In German usage, Willis as a surname has a related form in Willy.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
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 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Willis
- Willis LambAmerican physicist (1913–2008)
- Willis CarrierAmerican inventor (1876–1950)
- Willis ReedAmerican basketball player (1942–2023)
- Willis H. O'BrienAmerican animator (1886–1962)
- Willis Augustus Leeadmiral (1888-1945)
- Willis R. WhitneyAmerican chemist and founder of the research laboratory of the General Electric Company (1868-1958)
- Willis BoucheyAmerican actor (1907-1977)
- Willis CartoAmerican activist (1926-2015)
- Willis EdwardsEnglish footballer (1903–1988)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Willis, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Willie
“will” · “desire”
98% boys · 2% girls
Willian
“will” · “desire”
>99% boys
Ottis
“a wealthy man” · “one who is acute”
>99% boys
Wilson
“the son of William”
99% boys · 1% girls
Rexford
“from the king's ford”
>99% boys
Elroy
“a red-haired young man” · “a king”
>99% boys
Rudolph
Rudolph is a masculine given name from German.
>99% boys
Artie
“strong as a bear”
93% boys · 7% girls