Fun Facts About the Name Willoughby
- 314 babies named Willoughby: U.S. records list 314 babies given the name Willoughby from 1880 through 2025. Even 91 girls received the name Willoughby - about 1 girl for every 2 boys.
What Does the Name Willoughby Mean?
Willoughby is an English habitational name meaning "willow farmstead" or "settlement by the willows." It comes from the Old English element wilig, meaning "willow," and the Old Norse element býr (often reduced to by in English place names), meaning "farmstead" or "settlement." The combination of Old English and Old Norse is typical of place names in the parts of England settled by Scandinavians. The name began as a place name rather than a personal name; it became a surname for people who came from one of the several English villages called Willoughby.
Willoughby Name History & Origins
Willoughby begins as a place name. Several villages in England carry the name, including Willoughby in Lincolnshire, Willoughby on the Wolds in Nottinghamshire, and Willoughby Waterleys in Leicestershire. Their shared derivation combines the Old English word for willow with the Old Norse word for a farmstead or settlement. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire places are recorded in forms such as Wilgebi, showing the Norse-derived by ending already in use.
From these places came the English surname Willoughby. Medieval families who held land at one of the Willoughbys took the place name as a surname; the Willoughby family of Lincolnshire, later associated with the title Baron Willoughby de Eresby, is one documented example. Over time the surname spread and appeared in many spellings, though Willoughby became the usual modern form. The given name Willoughby is much less common than the surname and is generally a transferred use of it, rather than a name with a separate ancient origin.
Willoughby also has a literary association: John Willoughby is a character in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1811). That use is a later appearance of an existing surname, not the source of the name.
How Popular is the Name Willoughby?
Willoughby has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1923. Its best rank was #2,221 in 1923.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #17,134 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2024 | #10,194 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #13,378 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #15,183 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #10,249 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #10,204 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #17,843 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #17,989 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #14,028 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #12,817 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2014 | #14,486 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #16,887 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #17,548 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #14,119 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #10,727 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #12,067 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #12,022 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #12,034 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #9,617 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #9,557 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #3,935 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #4,330 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1945 | #3,771 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #4,027 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,129 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1940 | #3,457 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #4,139 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1934 | #4,195 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1933 | #4,141 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1931 | #3,384 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1930 | #3,588 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1929 | #2,975 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1928 | #3,354 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #3,441 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1926 | #3,700 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1925 | #3,733 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1923 | #2,221 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1922 | #3,242 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1921 | #4,967 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #2,333 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1919 | #4,157 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1918 | #4,166 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1917 | #2,952 | 9 | 0.0010% |
| 1916 | #3,887 | 6 | 0.0007% |
| 1915 | #4,383 | 5 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with W
How the Name Willoughby Shapes Your Personality and Life?
To express itself, you must follow the divine law of love. You have great persistence and hate to give up. You are a good mixer, charming, magnetic and intuitive. The spirituality is the key to success. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Willoughby's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Willoughby's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.