Given name & surname
Wills
“will”·“desire”·“helmet”
Wills 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
Wills 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
Wills 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
In English usage, Wills is a diminutive of William. Wills 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1921. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Wills 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
Wills through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 62
- 62 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 12 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #13,799 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,799 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 247 as a first name in 2020; 26,978 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.
Wills’s family of names
In English usage, Wills is a diminutive of William. In German usage, Wills as a surname has a related form in Willy. Wills has a related form in William.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Wills
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Wills, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wilkes
“will” · “desire”
>99% boys
Aldrich
“an old king”
>99% boys
Heinrich
“the ruler of the house” · “home”
>99% boys
Ciro
“a king”
>99% boys
Auguste
“one who is venerable; majestic”
>99% boys
Aldric
“an old king”
>99% boys
Hendry
“home” · “power”
>99% boys
Friedrich
“a peaceful ruler”
>99% boys