Willow Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Girl Names Like Willow

Willow Name Origin: English
Pronunciation: will-oh
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Willow Name Meaning

A peaceful name with a stylish side, Willow has taken the baby name scene by the roots. She’s ultra-modern in terms of popularity yet feels slightly vintage in a way.

As nature names continue to dot the charts, Willow is a standout pick in the trend. She’s not quite as popular as her sister Lily, yet recognizable enough to avoid spelling issues. She’s also part of the word name scene, home to trendsetters like Harper and Grace. In addition, Willow has the stylish -o ending sound seen in fashionable finds like Harlow, Marlow, and Margo.

Relatively free of nicknames, Willow is a great choice for parents looking for a standalone name. She may be modern in terms of popularity, but she has a mature feel that’s hard to miss. This doesn’t mean she can’t wear well on a little one, however. Lo or Loe could be used for a fashionable nickname should you choose, a moniker that feels similar to the sweetheart Coco.

Willow is a name with artsy vibes, a great name for parents who embrace creativity. She’s not one to walk on the well-worn path, unafraid of wandering outside the lines to follow her heart. Spirited, bold, and sassy as well, little Willow is packed with personality.

Willow Name Popularity

How popular is the name Willow? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	—	0	0%
1911	—	0	0%
1912	—	0	0%
1913	—	0	0%
1914	—	0	0%
1915	—	0	0%
1916	1,563	5	0.0005%
1917	—	0	0%
1918	—	0	0%
1919	—	0	0%
1920	—	0	0%
1921	—	0	0%
1922	—	0	0%
1923	—	0	0%
1924	1,414	9	0.0008%
1925	1,642	5	0.0004%
1926	1,415	7	0.0006%
1927	1,541	6	0.0005%
1928	1,288	11	0.001%
1929	—	0	0%
1930	—	0	0%
1931	1,485	5	0.0005%
1932	1,415	6	0.0006%
1933	1,283	8	0.0009%
1934	—	0	0%
1935	—	0	0%
1936	1,475	5	0.0005%
1937	—	0	0%
1938	—	0	0%
1939	1,409	6	0.0006%
1940	—	0	0%
1941	—	0	0%
1942	—	0	0%
1943	—	0	0%
1944	—	0	0%
1945	1,744	5	0.0004%
1946	1,717	5	0.0003%
1947	—	0	0%
1948	—	0	0%
1949	—	0	0%
1950	—	0	0%
1951	—	0	0%
1952	—	0	0%
1953	2,000	5	0.0003%
1954	—	0	0%
1955	—	0	0%
1956	—	0	0%
1957	—	0	0%
1958	—	0	0%
1959	—	0	0%
1960	—	0	0%
1961	—	0	0%
1962	—	0	0%
1963	—	0	0%
1964	2,186	5	0.0003%
1965	—	0	0%
1966	—	0	0%
1967	—	0	0%
1968	—	0	0%
1969	—	0	0%
1970	—	0	0%
1971	1,915	12	0.0008%
1972	2,066	9	0.0007%
1973	1,928	12	0.0009%
1974	1,657	20	0.0015%
1975	2,141	9	0.0007%
1976	1,582	24	0.0019%
1977	1,847	17	0.0013%
1978	1,519	30	0.0022%
1979	1,935	17	0.0012%
1980	1,810	23	0.0016%
1981	2,218	13	0.0009%
1982	2,272	12	0.0008%
1983	2,780	6	0.0004%
1984	—	0	0%
1985	—	0	0%
1986	—	0	0%
1987	—	0	0%
1988	3,286	5	0.0003%
1989	3,270	6	0.0004%
1990	3,981	5	0.0003%
1991	2,584	14	0.0009%
1992	2,085	25	0.0016%
1993	2,362	18	0.0012%
1994	2,059	25	0.0016%
1995	1,852	33	0.0022%
1996	1,392	69	0.0046%
1997	1,157	107	0.0072%
1998	845	200	0.0134%
1999	713	268	0.0179%
2000	755	257	0.0168%
2001	664	334	0.0222%
2002	505	507	0.0338%
2003	522	503	0.0331%
2004	548	478	0.0314%
2005	526	501	0.0328%
2006	527	537	0.0343%
2007	410	750	0.0475%
2008	392	774	0.0501%
2009	307	1,030	0.0689%
2010	286	1,104	0.0766%
2011	197	1,559	0.1094%
2012	171	1,817	0.1275%
2013	153	2,069	0.1453%
2014	134	2,397	0.1645%
2015	111	2,789	0.1917%
2016	96	3,092	0.2145%
2017	81	3,519	0.2521%
2018	62	3,871	0.2818%
2019	46	4,566	0.3373%
2020	48	4,251	0.334%
2021	38	4,841	0.396%
2022	37	5,013	0.38%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Willow

If you like Willow, you’ll love these other names like Willow.

What names are diminutives of Willow?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Willow sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Willow, but shorter.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Willa	Will helmet, protection	German
Willie	Will helmet, protection	German
Willy	Will helmet, protection	German

What names sound like Willow?

If you like how Willow sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Willow.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Harlow	Rock hill	English
Harlowe
Marlow	Driftwood	English
Marlowe
Wilhelma	A variant form of Wilhelmina.
Wilhelmina	Will helmet, protection	German
Willda	Untamed; willow tree	German
Willona	A variant form of Wilone.
Wilma	Will helmet, protection	German

What names are similar to Willow?

Find a name that’s like Willow, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Popularity	Other Gender
Aspen	Aspen tree	English
Daisy	Daisy flower	English

Isla	Island	Scottish
Juniper	Juniper tree	English
Opal	Gem, jewel	Indian (Sanskrit)
Penelope	Weaver	Greek
Poppy	“The milk of happiness,” from the Latin papaver, the name of a plant having thick, milky juice, on the basis of papa, thick milk.	Latin
Rose	Rose flower	English
Rowan	Of the rowan tree	Gaelic
Violet	Violet flower	English

Lists With Willow

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Willow.

Siblings of Willow

Mamas with kids named Willow also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Sage	Sage plant	English
Isla	Island	Scottish
Piper	Pipe player	English
Agnes	Pure, holy	Greek
Jewel	Plaything, delight	French
Adrien	From Hadria	Latin
Damien	To tame	French

Persephone	Bringer of destruction	Greek
Sebastien	Revered	Greek
Phoenix	Dark red	Greek
Leverett	Young Hare	French
Iris	Rainbow	Greek
Freya	Lady	Scandinavian
Rowan	Of the rowan tree	Gaelic
Wyatt	Brave in battle	English
Briar	Shrub, Small Tree	English
Rose	Rose flower	English
Sage	Healing herb	Latin
Ryder	Mounted warrior	English
Silas	Man of the forest	Latin
Justin	Just and fair	English
Ronan	Little seal	Irish

Share Your Thoughts

38 Comments

Elizabeth Jacob Jul 13 at 6:26 am

Willow is the name of the man I truly loved but we can’t be together I’m just cherishing his name as only a dream my willow

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Brittany Nov 3 at 7:47 am

There was a little shop named Willow and I just fell in love with the name. She has two middle names Hazel Grace after my grandma and we just loved Grace. She is my chunky baby and the final piece to our family.

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Liz Aug 1 at 10:22 am

During baby girls birth I felt like a willow tree

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Jennifer May 14 at 8:35 pm

I named my daughter Willow and she is about to be 26 years old. Although I loved the movie Willow, it never came to mind when thinking of names. She was absolutely the only Willow around when she was born but now it’s becoming popular. Some people tried to talk me out of naming her Willow while I was pregnant but her dad & I loved it. She’s our Willow.

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Lexy Apr 3 at 9:01 am

I have always loved willow trees, my grandmother had one in her garden and I have fond memories playing in her garden as a child. I also loved the movie Pocahontas growing up. We also wanted a unique name that wasn’t too out there. It’s easy to pronounce and spell, and hopefully can’t get teased for it as she grows up.

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Hannah Aug 1 at 2:31 am

We decided on Willow because we like the original name and when we saw her we just knew that was her name, we decided it before she was born but you never know until you see them ?

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Victoria Jul 22 at 9:06 am

She is constantly nursing, and doesn’t sleep good at night

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Willow Jul 10 at 7:07 am

We picked out a middle name first. Both my husband and I have grandmas with the middle name Mae. We kinda just threw around names till we liked one that went well with the middle name. We had 5 years to sit on the name Willow Mae and fell in love with more and more as we waited for our sweet little love to join us! ?

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Sherisse May 28 at 11:07 am

We wanted a very feminine name that was uncommon but wasn’t something that was clear we were trying hard to be different.

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Stormy May 3 at 8:44 am

Willow was the one name my husband and I both loved and agreed on. We wanted to go with something nature wise like my name (Stormy) and I absolutely love willow trees, it has a peaceful serenity to it. And I also love that willow trees bloom in the spring time and that’s when we had our daughter. It was just perfect.

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Bear Apr 12 at 7:15 am

I love my child’s name I also have a son named Bear it made sense and she definitely looks like a willow

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Denise Apr 5 at 9:44 am

I chose Willow because her fathers name is William and I wanted to name our first child after him. I love that it’s a nature-inspired name as well.

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Tymber Apr 2 at 8:43 pm

My name is Tymber. And it matches the tree theme. It is also super pretty.

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Mama Lexi Jan 29 at 11:32 am

It’s a beautiful earthy/nature name–we love it so much! Willow trees are “graceful and elegant” as well as strong and very resilient. Her nickname is Lowie ?

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Hannah Jan 3 at 3:58 pm

My husband is the one who picked out the name Willow. He wanted something different and I liked it as well. It means “freedom” which is the reason I fell in love with it.

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Whitney Oct 26 at 7:12 am

It’s actually spelled Wyllow! We chose the name Wyllow because it’s not a common name and moms name is Whitney so we wanted to stick with W names for our girls. I love the name.

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Ashton Aug 17 at 3:47 pm

I wanted a hippie name to be honest

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Melissa Feb 10 at 3:12 pm

Willow is a beautiful name. I picked the name because it brings me happiness thinking about the willow tree itself.

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Meghan Oct 18 at 11:16 pm

I just loved the name and think it’s a beautiful girl name.

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- Willow Nov 18 at 4:59 am
  
  My name is Willow
  
  Reply
  - ben May 21 at 4:17 pm
    
    Is that you Willow?
    
    Reply
  - Mine too. May 4 at 10:20 am
    
    When I grew up. I was the only Willow around. Now I can be shopping and hear look at this Willow. When I go look. The person who said it., Looks at me like Im crazy. I explain. I am Willow. And not used to hearing about other willows. I love that it’s gaining popularity!
    
    Reply
Ryan Mar 16 at 12:37 pm

Choose Willow because me and her dad call each other WILLIS so we went with Willow lol

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Kimberly Feb 21 at 9:37 am

I named her after my dad. His name is Willard.

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Jessica Dec 30 at 4:30 pm

We chose Willow for several reasons. One is nostalgia. The movie ‘Willow’ holds a very special place in mine and my husband’s hearts. As well, we are both huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy’s best friend Willow just happens to be our favorite character in the entire series. The final reason is because I have a biology degree and most of what I specialized in studying was forest ecology. Trees are my passion, so of course my daughter had to have a tree related name. All of these reasons made it a no brainer that we would name our little one Willow.

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Shaunna Dec 11 at 11:18 am

I am a hippie chick and chose the name willow because of my love of trees. Especially willow trees. I love the willow tree lore. All the ancient stories about how how the willow is so strong and immortal because it can grow from a single branch falling onto the ground and can root and grow a new tree.

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Charity rider Sep 28 at 11:57 am

Because she is strong and resilient. At 14 weeks gestation they gave her a 1% chance of survival. Then at 26 weeks my water broke and she hung in there for four weeks without any fluid before deciding to make her grand entrance.She is now two weeks old and thriving very much. She is one of the happier cases in the NICU department

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Megan Sep 25 at 8:10 pm

I named her after the character from Buffy.

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brittany Sep 15 at 6:18 am

I wanted a name that was somewhat uncommon, but still easy to spell and pronounce. I also like timeless names, and I feel like Willow is soft and feminine, perfect for my little beauty queen! I also liked the fact it begins and ends in the same letter like my 3 year old son, Silas.

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Erica Aug 23 at 11:21 am

Named after the strength of the Willow Tree.

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Jen Aug 19 at 1:03 pm

Willow trees are strong but flexible and can withstand even the strongest of storms. I want my daughter to be soft, but strong. Gentle, but able to handle whatever life throws at her with grace and dignity.

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Tiffany Jul 25 at 10:17 am

My husbands name is William so we thought it would be close enough to name her after him but still be a girl name.

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Heather Jul 2 at 3:52 pm

We chose Willow b/c it’s different but not too different & also b/c it sounds pretty. Our daughter is petite and has a sweet temper so it fits so well for her. We also liked that it’s easy to pronounce, and spell. However, if you live in the south – be aware that some people with heavy southern accents will pronounce it Willa instead of Willow.

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Bre Jun 25 at 2:03 pm

After losing a son at 32 weeks pregnant in 2025 I began to search for feeling meaning in my life to heal those wounds. Willow. The tree of life that grows in the harshest conditions.
The willow reminds us to let go and to surrender completely to our innermost selves. And, to gain a deeper understanding of our subconscious. Another powerful symbolic meaning of the willow tree is its adaptability. The willow tree’s ability to not only survive but also thrive in some of the most challenging conditions. We can also look at how the willow tree encourages the expression of deep emotions, including grief and sadness through tears and teaching us the value and consequences of love and loss. One of the greatest symbolic meanings of the willow tree is that even through great loss we have the ability to grow and there is potential for something new.

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Samantha Jun 8 at 1:34 pm

We decided on Willow after my dad William and to honor my uncle William that passed away 50 years ago while serving in the Navy.

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Teela Apr 23 at 12:31 pm

I have loved the name Willow for many years. I think the first time I heard it was from the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
It also went really well with our elder daughter’s name, Piper.

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Brittany Apr 13 at 11:21 am

My oldest daughter had a series of dreams. First that I was pregnant, then the gender, then the name. So it was a no-brainer!

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Kierryn Apr 12 at 2:09 am

I saw the name Willow is a book I was reading long before I was pregnant and it stuck with me. My family has strong Irish ties and I wanted an Irish name for my daughter, but my husband wasn’t sold on many of my suggestions. When I thought about it I saw many Irish connections to the name Willow. It is a sacred tree to the celts and is though to guard the entrance to the Fey world. It is also important from a spiritual perspective because it helps people move beyond their grief and relieves pain. This brought me to the Willow Bark aspect and the connection with Aspirin and healing. I also love what willows stand for. How they are such strong graceful trees with incredible flexibility and I wanted those qualities for my daughter. We had a huge Willow growing in the village where I grew up and I have always loved it. Finally, my grandfather’s name was William and Willow felt like a nice homage without being too obvious. But ultimately we chose it because it was a name both my husband and I liked

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