Willow

What Willow means

From the word “willow”

From willow.

Source: Wiktionary, “Willow” (revision 93674508), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Willow?

US: Rising: up from #111 in 2015. England & Wales: Rising: up from #41 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2021, when 5,195 girls got the name (#39 that year). First in the US records in 1890.

How common

• About 1 in 337 baby girls in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 183 baby girls in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 143 baby girls in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in VT (14.37 per 1,000 girls), WY (12.33 per 1,000 girls), WV (12.02 per 1,000 girls) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed girls born in each state.

US vs UK

Willow is #44 in the US and #20 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (girls). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.5% of US babies named Willow were girls.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

Other spellings

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Willa742 US · 52 E&W
• Willo9 US
• Willah7 US

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Willow

Girls

• Dahlia#215Editor’s note Up from #412 in 2015 to #215 in 2025 in the US
• Mercy#862Editor’s note Up from #1,011 in 2015 to #862 in 2025 in the US
• Juniper#100Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #427 in 2015, #100 in 2025
• Promise#823Editor’s note 330 US babies in 2025, but under 3 in England & Wales
• Violet#13From the word “violet”^*
• Journey#411Editor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #411 vs #3,333 in 2025

For a brother

• Rowan#59“little red one”^*
• Alden#598“old + friend”^*
• Prince#447Editor’s note Down from #386 in 2015 to #447 in 2025 in the US
• Deacon#561Editor’s note First shows up in US records in 1971, with 15 babies
• August#81“month of August”^*
• Briar#686Editor’s note Used for both: 34% of US babies named Briar in 2025 were boys

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under English, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Willow’s. Rank is US 2025.