Willow: meaning and UK use

What does Willow mean?

The name comes from the English tree word, traced to Old English welig. It is a word name rather than a shortened traditional given name.

Language or name family covered

English tree name

Meaning or derivation

The willow tree

Our browsing group

girl; nature, modern

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Willow

Pronunciation and related forms

WIL-oh (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

No variants or nicknames have been verified for this entry. A family nickname does not need to be an established dictionary form.

How popular is Willow?

In 2025, 1,384 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Willow, making it the 20th most popular girls’ name. That is up 1 place on 2024, when it ranked 21st. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 41st, so it has climbed 21 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2023, at 9th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

20th

2025 registrations

1,384

Best rank in this series

9th (2023)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Willow: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	20	1,384
2024	21	1,481
2023	9	1,833
2022	11	1,867
2021	10	2,067
2020	12	1,982
2019	19	1,995
2018	20	1,900
2017	26	1,764
2016	32	1,536
2015	41	1,308
2014	51	1,142
2013	54	1,074
2012	69	892
2011	75	772
2010	112	511
2009	108	493
2008	146	369
2007	179	298
2006	222	218
2005	236	194
2004	208	222
2003	257	163
2002	238	169
2001	251	158
2000	427	73
1999	498	58
1998	597	43
1997	983	21
1996	891	24

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 26,011. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Selected hyphenated registrations starting with Willow in 2025: Willow-Rose: 35 (girls); Willow-Grace: 18 (girls); Willow-Mae: 18 (girls); Willow-May: 12 (girls). This selection includes up to four matching forms with at least ten registrations, not every compound name.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

Try Willow with your surname

Preview the full name and initials below. This stays on this page, is not saved and is not sent to us. The preview does not check legal registration or passport rules.

Middle names (optional)

Surname

Type a surname to preview the full name, initials and character count.

• Say “Willow” followed by your surname, then add any middle names. Listen for repeated sounds or an unintended phrase.
• Write the full initials. Try the everyday form and any nickname you expect to use.
• Ask someone to read Willow without prompting, then decide whether explaining its spelling or pronunciation would bother you.
• If a cultural or family connection is important, confirm the intended language and written form before settling on a translation.

Names to compare with Willow

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Junipernature, modern · The juniper tree
• Islamodern, nature · Scottish form of Islay
• Lunamodern, nature · Moon
• Poppynature, modern · The poppy flower
• Wrennature, modern · The wren bird
• Amaramodern · Grace

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Willow, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.