Williaa
Diminutive form of William, of Germanic origin meaning "resolute protection".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Williaa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Williaa today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Williaa births was 1961 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Williaa. 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 Williaa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1961
6 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1961 SSA rank
#4,056
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Williaa: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Williaa 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 Williaa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Williaa
The name Williaa is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words "wil" meaning "will" or "desire," and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection." It is believed to have emerged in England during the 7th or 8th century AD, during the period of Anglo-Saxon settlement and rule.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Williaa can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Several individuals with variations of the name, such as Willelm and Willelmus, were listed as landowners or tenants.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Williaa gained popularity among the nobility and upper classes in England. Notable historical figures bearing this name include William the Conqueror (c. 1028-1087), the first Norman king of England, and William of Ockham (c. 1287-1347), a Franciscan friar and influential philosopher.
During the Renaissance period, the name Williaa continued to be widely used across Europe. One of the most famous individuals with this name was William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the renowned English playwright and poet whose works have had a profound influence on literature and the English language.
In the 18th century, William Wilberforce (1759-1833) was a prominent English politician and philanthropist who played a leading role in the movement to abolish the slave trade. Another notable figure was William Wordsworth (1770-1850), an English Romantic poet whose works celebrated nature and the human spirit.
The 19th century saw the rise of several influential figures named Williaa, including William Gladstone (1809-1898), a British statesman and four-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and William Booth (1829-1912), the founder of the Salvation Army.
As the name Williaa has a long and rich history, spanning over a millennium, it has been borne by countless individuals across various cultures and regions. While this overview covers some of the most notable historical figures, the name has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the annals of history.
People
Williaa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Williaa 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
Williaa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Williaa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Williaa 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Williaa a common name?
We classify Williaa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Williaa most popular?
The single biggest year for Williaa was 1961, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Williaa is about 65 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 Williaa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Williaa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Williaa 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 Williaa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Williaa 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 Williaa 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 Williaa?
Want to know how many people have the name Williaa? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.