Wyllis
An English masculine name derived from Old English, meaning "determined protector".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Wyllis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Wyllis today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wyllis births was 1925 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wyllis. 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 Wyllis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1925
6 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1931 SSA rank
#4,319
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Wyllis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wyllis from the 1920s through to the 1930s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wyllis 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 Wyllis 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 Wyllis
The name Wyllis originates from the Old English language and is derived from the words "wil," meaning "desire" or "will," and "lesu," meaning "meadow." It is a masculine name that dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries.
In its earliest form, the name was spelled "Willelm" or "Willelmus," which eventually evolved into the modern spelling of "Wyllis." This name was particularly popular among the nobility and upper classes during the Middle Ages in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wyllis can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Willelmus" and "Willihelmus."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Wyllis. In the 14th century, Wyllis of Gloucester (c. 1320-1384) was an English scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of logic and metaphysics. Another prominent figure was Sir Wyllis Sandys (1590-1670), an English politician and colonist who played a crucial role in the early settlement of Virginia.
During the Renaissance, Wyllis Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. His works, including plays like "Hamlet," "Macbeth," and "Romeo and Juliet," have had a profound impact on literature and theater worldwide.
In the field of science, Wyllis Herschel (1738-1822) was a German-born British astronomer who discovered the planet Uranus and several moons of Saturn. His contributions to astronomy and the study of the solar system were groundbreaking.
Another notable figure was Wyllis Whitman (1819-1892), an American poet, essayist, and journalist known for his influential work "Leaves of Grass." His poetry celebrated democracy, nature, and the human experience, and he is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature.
While the name Wyllis has declined in popularity in recent times, it remains a rich and historical name with roots in the Anglo-Saxon period and a legacy of notable individuals who have borne it throughout the centuries.
People
Wyllis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wyllis 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
Wyllis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wyllis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wyllis 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Wyllis a common name?
We classify Wyllis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wyllis most popular?
The single biggest year for Wyllis was 1925, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wyllis is about 58 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 Wyllis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wyllis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wyllis 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 Wyllis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wyllis 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 Wyllis 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 named Wyllis?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.