Bill
Meaning
short form of William ("will helmet"); the B spelling arrived in the 19th century
Famously borne by Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft.
The formal names behind Bill
Bill is an established short form of this name.
William · Germanic origin · "will" and "helmet," two old words fused into one name; carried to England by the Conqueror in 1066 and near the top of English boys' names for most of the thousand years since. Will, Liam, and Billy all live inside it
Bill around the world
One shared root links 12 names across 3 languages.
Shared root: from Germanic Willahelm, wil "will, desire" + helm "helmet, protection"
The constellation
Bill in song
Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
Arthur Collins (1902)
Hughie Cannon's 1902 Tin Pan Alley smash, a woman calling her man back after she put him out. Arthur Collins had the hit record, and it has been a Dixieland and singalong staple for well over a century.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Bill peaked in the 1920s and the 1960s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
318 people · the #18,259 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 500,000 · median age 33
Among people named Bill living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Bill
Most people given the name Bill in the United States were born between 1940 and 1969. The Bill you meet today is most often in his 60s or 70s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Bill deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Bill truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Bill fits with your family’s names and surname.
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