Billy

Attested across 10 languages in the etymology graph.

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Billy, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Danny
• Andy
• Jimmy
• Chuck
• Alex
• Chris
• Eddie
• Charlie
• Dan
• Freddy
• Davy
• Johnny

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Billy is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name18 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Peru, Philippines, Brazil

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian

  Also written Bíllý, Bïlly, Bïllÿ, Biĺly, Bîllý

• Indonesian given name4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, United States, Philippines, Malaysia

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written 'Billy, Bïlly

• Polish given name28 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland, United States, Czechia, Slovakia

  Languages: Polish, Czech, Russian

  Also written Били, Billý, Bili, Bílly, Bíllý

• Greek given name4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Greece, United States, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written Μπίλλυ, Μπιλλυ, Bíllÿ

75 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Billy is also recorded in 4 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In French, voir De Billy

  as a name·Dictionnaire des noms de famille du Canada français. Anthroponymie et généalogie. 2e édition

• In Swedish, Billy är ursprungligen en engelsk smekform till → William.

  as a name·Förnamn i Sverige. Kortfattat namnlexikon

• In German, männl. Vom., engHsche Koseform von

  as a name·DUDEN Lexikon der Vornamen

• In Swedish, a male given name borrowed from English

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• Billy Wilderb. 1906USAustrian and American filmmaker (1906–2002)
• Billy Wrightb. 1924GBEnglish footballer (1924-1994)
• Billy Williamsb. 1929GBBritish cinematographer
• Billy Goldenbergb. 1936USAmerican composer and songwriter (1936-2020)
• Billy Connollyb. 1942GBScottish actor and comedian
• Billy Crystalb. 1948USAmerican actor, comedian, writer, producer, director and television presenter (born 1948)
• Billy Zaneb. 1966USAmerican actor (born 1966)
• Billy Burkeb. 1966USAmerican actor, musician
• Billy Boydb. 1968GBScottish actor and musician
• Billy Porterb. 1969USAmerican singer and actor

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

What are other forms of the name Billy?

In the etymology graph, William, Guillermo and Guilherme are forms of the same name in other languages; it is recorded as a short form of Willie and Bill.

Is Billy a male or female name?

Billy is a male name. National registers that list it by sex list it as male: United States (Census Bureau, 2020), France (INSEE, 2024), Ecuador (INEC, 2024) and Brazil (IBGE, 2022), among others.

What does the name Billy mean, and where does it come from?

A fellow, companion, comrade, mate; partner, brother. Recorded by kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations).

In which country does Billy have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 173 thousand people named Billy, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled billy.

How common is the name Billy?

In the United States, the national register counted 173,433 people named Billy in 2020, about 1 in 1.9 thousand residents.

How common is Billy compared with other names?

In the United States, Billy is the 257th most common given name of 2,815,431 given names recorded there.

How do you pronounce Billy?

In English /ˈbɪli/ (Wiktionary).