Willas
A variant form of the English name William, meaning "resolute protection".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Willas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Willas today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Willas births was 1924 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Willas. 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 Willas. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1924
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1924 SSA rank
#4,949
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Willas: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Willas 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 Willas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Willas
The name Willas finds its origins in Germanic languages, particularly Old English and Old Frisian. It is derived from the Old Frisian name Wilha, which in turn comes from the Germanic root "wil" meaning "will" or "desire." The name Willas is a diminutive form of this root, often used as a nickname or pet name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Willas can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Willas is mentioned in the county of Norfolk, England. This suggests that the name was in use among the Anglo-Saxons and Normans during the 11th century.
In the Middle Ages, the name Willas appeared in various literary works and historical records. One notable bearer of the name was Willas de Hugelville, a French knight who fought in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under King Richard I of England.
During the Renaissance period, the name Willas gained some prominence in England. A notable figure was Willas Browne (c. 1550-1615), an English explorer and navigator who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on several expeditions to the Americas.
In the 17th century, Willas Hicks (1628-1680) was a prominent Quaker preacher and writer who played a significant role in the early development of the Quaker movement in England.
Another notable bearer of the name was Willas Maddox (1737-1822), an English artist and engraver who is known for his portraits and landscapes.
In the 19th century, Willas Overend (1833-1892) was a British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton from 1865 to 1892.
While the name Willas has been more commonly used as a surname in recent times, its historical roots as a given name can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon and Norman periods, with various notable individuals bearing the name throughout history.
People
Willas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Willas as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Willas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Willas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Willas 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 - US residents.
Is Willas a common name?
We classify Willas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Willas most popular?
The single biggest year for Willas was 1924, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Willas is about 0 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 Willas in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Willas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Willas 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 Willas still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Willas 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 Willas 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 are called Willas?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.