William
William is a male given name: 99% of people named William are men, and it is recorded as male in 13 of the 13 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Great Britain, Ireland
- US births since 1880
- 4,102,604 male / 15,949 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address William
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear William," in English, "Guten Tag William," in German. William is a male given name: about 99% of people named William are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear William,
German
Guten Tag William,
French
Bonjour William,
Spanish
Estimado/a William:
Chinese
William您好：
Japanese
William様
English
Hi William,
German
Hi William,
French
Salut William,
Spanish
Hola William,
Chinese
William你好：
Japanese
Williamさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 100% |
| Great Britain | common | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | common | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| France | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Malta | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Sweden | rare | man's name | 98% |
Show all 13 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
4,102,604 male · 15,949 female · 4,118,553 births recorded
Since 1980: 100% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is William a male or female name?
William is a male given name: 99% of people named William are men, and it is recorded as male in 13 of the 13 countries covered.
How do I address William in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear William," in English, "Guten Tag William," in German. William is a male given name: about 99% of people named William are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is William a unisex name?
William is not a unisex name: 99% of people named William are men. William leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is William a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/william (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_william,
title = {Is William a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/william},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}