Uilliam
A masculine given name of Scottish origin, a variant of William.
Name Census estimates that about 52 living Americans carry the first name Uilliam. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Uilliam today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Uilliam births was 2018 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Uilliam. 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 Uilliam. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
52
~ 1 in 6,591,430 Americans
Peak year
2018
11 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,055
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Uilliam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Uilliam from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 35 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Uilliam remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Uilliam 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 Uilliam during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Uilliam
The given name Uilliam originated from the Old German name Willihelm, which consisted of two elements - "wil" meaning "will or desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet or protection." The Germanic peoples who spoke this ancient language lived in parts of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 8th centuries AD.
Over time, the name evolved into different spellings and forms, such as William, Wilhelm, and Uilliam, as it spread across Europe. The spelling "Uilliam" is particularly associated with the Gaelic languages spoken in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of England. It became popularized in these regions during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Uilliam can be found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient chronicle of medieval Irish history. This text, written in the 15th century, mentions "Uilliam Búrc" (William Burke), an Anglo-Norman knight who was active in Ireland in the late 12th century.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Uilliam. One of the most famous was Uilliam Wallace (c. 1270-1305), the Scottish knight and leader of the Wars of Scottish Independence against England. Another prominent bearer was Uilliam the Conqueror (c. 1028-1087), the Norman king who invaded and conquered England in 1066.
In the 16th century, Uilliam Shakespeare (1564-1616), the renowned English playwright and poet, was a significant cultural figure who carried this name. Another notable Uilliam was Uilliam Tyndale (c. 1494-1536), the English scholar who was instrumental in translating the Bible into Early Modern English.
During the 17th century, Uilliam Penn (1644-1718), the English Quaker leader and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, was a prominent bearer of the name. He played a crucial role in the early development of the American colonies.
While these are just a few examples, the name Uilliam has been borne by numerous individuals throughout history, reflecting its enduring popularity and cultural significance across various regions and time periods.
People
Uilliam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Uilliam as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Uilliam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Uilliam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 52 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Uilliam 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 6,591,430 US residents.
Is Uilliam a common name?
We classify Uilliam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 52 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Uilliam most popular?
The single biggest year for Uilliam was 2018, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Uilliam is about 7 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 Uilliam in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Uilliam a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Uilliam 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 Uilliam still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Uilliam 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 Uilliam 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 people have the name Uilliam?
See how many Americans are named Uilliam on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.