Gender: Girl
Meaning: The willow tree; slender and graceful
Origin: Old English welig — the willow tree, long associated with grace, flexibility, and healing
Popularity: Ranked #41 in 2024 with 4,653 babies born.
History: Willow is a nature name with Old English roots — the weeping willow tree has long been a symbol of grace, flexibility, and resilience in adversity. The name gained early pop-culture visibility through the 1988 fantasy film Willow. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith naming their daughter Willow in 2000 gave it a significant celebrity boost, and daughter Willow Smith's own music career has kept it prominent. The name entered the U.S. top 50 in the 2010s and continues climbing, part of the broader wave of nature names that defines modern feminine naming.
Famous people named Willow: Willow Smith (singer/actress), Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Name length: 6 letters
How common is Willow? About 1 in 711 babies born in 2024 were named Willow, or roughly 12.8 per day in the United States.
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