Billy
Pronounced B IH1 L IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1934
- 145 years in use
- 2 spellings
How popular is Billy?
Billy is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 415,740 children — the 85th most common boys' name on record.
It has been slipping, down 46% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1934, when 10,599 children were given it.
Two other spellings are counted in that total — Billie and Bily — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Billy and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Billie
- Bily
Nicknames
Billy is itself a short form of William.
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- B IH1 L IY0
- Stress pattern:
- 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Billy
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Billy
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Billy?
- Billy ranks 85th among boys' names in US records, with 415,740 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 2,436.
- Is Billy a unisex name?
- No. Billy is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Billy most popular?
- 1934, when 10,599 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Billy spelled?
- Billie, Bily. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.