Willis

Diminutive of William, German

"resolute protection"

Willis Origin and Meaning

The name Willis is a boy's name meaning "resolute protection".

A common surname that was popular as a given name in the late 19th and early 20th century, Willis dropped off the US Top 1000 back in the early 90s, just as alternative William diminutive, Liam, began to skyrocket.

Particularly popular among Amish people, Willis is still given to around 60 boys in each recent year.

Willis Rank in US Top 1000

# 970 in the US

Popularity of the name Willis

• 1801 Nameberry 2025

20 Names Similar to Willis

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Willis.

• Wendell
• Nat
• Des
• Herbie
• Gene
• Bingham
• Rutherford
• Abe
• Sherman
• Dudley
• Dewey
• Dieter
• Clancy
• Milton
• Sampson
• Elton
• Paddy
• Sid
• Lester
• Ernie

Famous People Named Willis

• Willis Haviland Carrier American inventor of air conditioning
• Willis Eugene Lamb Jr. American physicist and Nobel prize winner
• Willis Andrew McGahee III American NFL football player
• Willis Reed Jr. American basketball player
• Willis Linn Jepson American botanist
• Willis "Gator" Jackson American jazz saxophonist
• Willis Bouchey American character actor
• Bruce Willis American actor

The name Willis in Pop Culture

• Willis Drummand character on TV's "Diff'rent Strokes" ("Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?")
• Dr. Ethan Willis character from TV's "Code Black," played by Rob Lowe
• Willis Wu character from 'Interior Chinatown'