Bily
Diminutive of William, a Germanic name meaning "resolute protection".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Bily. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bily today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bily births was 1973 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bily. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bily. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1973
5 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1978 SSA rank
#5,888
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Bily: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bily by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bily during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bily
The name Bily is believed to have originated from the Slavic languages, particularly Czech and Slovak. It is a diminutive form of the name Viliam, which is the Slavic variant of the name William. The name William itself can be traced back to the Germanic name Willahelm, which combines the elements "wil" (meaning "will" or "desire") and "helm" (meaning "helmet" or "protection").
The earliest recorded use of the name Bily can be found in historical records from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. During this time, the name was primarily used by members of the nobility and upper classes in these regions. As the name spread across Central and Eastern Europe, it also became popular among various Slavic communities.
In terms of historical references, the name Bily does not appear to have any significant mentions in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, there are several notable figures throughout history who have borne this name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Bily was Bily I, Duke of Opava (c. 1284-1337), a Silesian prince and member of the Piast dynasty. Another prominent figure was Bily of Pernštejn (c. 1436-1521), a Bohemian nobleman and military leader who played a crucial role in the Hussite Wars.
In the 16th century, Bily Hosák (c. 1550-1597) was a Czech Protestant clergyman and writer known for his theological works. A century later, Bily Pokorný (1677-1744) was a Czech painter and engraver who contributed significantly to the Baroque art scene in Prague.
Moving into the 19th century, Bily Kulíšek (1841-1921) was a Czech lawyer, writer, and politician who served as a member of the Bohemian Diet and the Austrian Imperial Council.
It is worth noting that while the name Bily has been predominantly used in Slavic cultures, it has also found its way into other languages and regions, sometimes with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. However, the focus of this report remains on the historical and linguistic origins of the given name Bily within the Slavic context.
People
Bily + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bily as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bily: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bily?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bily going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Bily a common name?
We classify Bily as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bily most popular?
The single biggest year for Bily was 1973, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bily is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bily in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bily a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bily in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bily still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bily in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bily can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Bily?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.