Billie: Baby Name of the Day

We’re wild about Willa and Ellie, so how ’bout the baby name Billie for a daughter?

Thanks to Sarah for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME BILLIE MEAN?

First things first: William remains an evergreen choice for a son.

William comes from the Germanic elements will or desire and helmet or protection. An eighth-century saint, cousin to Charlemagne, answered to William. So did William the Conqueror, who led the Normans to invade England in 1066 and became king.

Thanks to the saint and the many royals who bore the name, William occurs in every European language.

It’s also led to plenty of nicknames, including Bill and Billy.

The W-to-B switch might seem surprising now. But W is a tricky initial. Forms of William are often spelled with a V or a G, and sometimes even a U, as in Irish. Some claim Bill comes from an Irish pronunciation of Uilliam.

Billy is also a place name and surname in France, derived from Roman place name Billiacum. That might come from a given name, or possibly from an old Gaulish word meaning tree. In fact, Billy dots the map across France, as well as Ireland.

In any case, Bill and Billy have been mainstays since the late nineteenth century.

IS BILLIE A FEMININE FORM OF WILLIAM?

Before Billy was short for William, it might’ve been feminine. There’s some suggestion that Mabel and Sibyl were shortened to Billy for girls way back when.

Today, though, we tend to interpret Billie with an IE as a possible feminine form of William.

There’s nothing special about an -ie ending in general. Sally, Molly, and Lily have been dominant, but so have Sadie, Millie, and Josie. It changes over time, too. A century ago, Lillie outranked Lily. Before that, Sallie was preferred over Sally.

But the baby name Billie succeeds for our daughters for two reasons:

• First, feminine forms of William tend to be a little unwieldy. Wilhelmina retains the German spelling, which makes it less accessible in English. Williamina seems a little cobbled together. Willa is a traditional option, of course, as is twenty-first century newcomer Willow.
• In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, parents routinely used -ie ending nicknames of masculine favorites for their daughters. The 1924 US Top 1000 for girls includes Charlie, Bobbie, Tommie, and Johnnie, as well as more obscure choices like Virgie (for Virgil) and Lonnie (for Alonzo).

Billie benefits from many similar names for girls: Lily, Millie, Tilly, Jill, Polly, Sally, and so on.

A handful of high-profile women answered to Billie in the early twentieth century, including:

• 1920s screen star Billie Dove, born Bertha, and briefly known as Lillian.
• Actress Billie Burke, born Mary William and named for her father. She first became a star in the 1910s and 20s. We remember her best as The Wizard of Oz’s good witch Glinda, a role she played in 1939.

BILLIE HOLIDAY

Then along came the legendary Billie Holiday.

Born Eleanora Fagan, Holiday borrowed her stage name from Billie Dove.

During the 1930s and 40s, she became an internationally known jazz and swing singer. Nicknamed Lady Day, Holiday remains admired these many years later, regularly topping Best-Of lists. In 1939, she recorded “Strange Fruit,” an early Civil Rights movement protest song about lynching. The lyrics come from a poem. It’s bold and haunting, an unforgettable song.

Stories about her life, like 2021’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday continue to introduce her to younger audiences.

BILLIE JEAN(S)

As a double name, Billie Jean left a mark on the 1970s and 80s.

In 1973, former tennis star Bobby Riggs insisted that the gap between men’s and women’s tennis was so great that he could defeat any current female champ. Billie Jean King took on the challenge, and roundly defeated Riggs in what was called “The Battle of the Sexes.”

King won 39 Grand Slam titles over the long career. Her place in popular culture is nearly as significant. She remains a tireless advocate for women in sports.

Then came Michael Jackon’s 1983 massive hit single, “Billie Jean.” It’s not about the tennis player in any way. Part of best-selling album Thriller with an iconic video, the song forever ties the name to the 1980s.

In 1985, actress Helen Slater starred in The Legend of Billie Jean, about a teenage girl from the wrong side of the tracks who stands up for what’s right and becomes a local hero. Pat Benatar recorded the theme song, Invincible.

FAMOUS BILLIES

But if Billie Jean sounds dated, just Billie seems a little different.

Famous Billies of our moment include:

• Billie Piper’s singing career launched when she was just 15. She later became an actor, starring as Rose, the new companion of Doctor Who in the 2005 reboot. Since then, she’s appeared in series like Penny Dreadful, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, I Hate Suzie, and Kaos, to name just a few.
• Carrie Fisher gave the name to her daughter with Bryan Lourd in 1992. Billie Lourd has gone on to appear in Scream Queens and American Horror Story, as well as appearing in the new Star Wars movies.

Add in characters on shows like Charmed and even a 1965 movie starring Patty Duke in the title role as Billie, and this name has never really disappeared.

BILLIE EILISH

Then along came singer Billie Eilish. Full name: Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell.

Her first name is a nod to her grandfather, who passed away while her mother was pregnant.

As of this writing, Eilish has won nine Grammys and two Academy Awards, for songs in Barbie and No Time to Die. She’s just 22, suggesting that Billie Eilish could keep her name in the headlines for years to come.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME BILLIE?

Billie fits in perfectly with the retro Sadie names. It’s also part of the boyish nicknames, a subset of the Sadies. Charlie leads that group, but names like Stevie and Frankie are popular, too.

The baby name Billie appeared in the girls’ Top 1000 in the US every year from 1889 through 1997, peaking in the Top 100 from 1928 through 1934.

One hundred years later, Billie is back.

As of 2021, it returned to the US Top 1000 and reached #865 in 2023.

Is the baby name Billie unisex? It can be. Figures like Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong keep it on the list of options for a son. But just eight boys were named Billie in 2023, suggesting that this is far more common as a feminine spelling.

CHARMING BILLIE MAKES A COMEBACK

Boyish, retro Billie is making a comeback.

Maybe it’s down to the 100-year rule, suggesting that Billie now feels charming and vintage.

Perhaps women like Billie Piper and Billie Eilish put it on parents’ radar. Or maybe it’s even a hero name, honoring Billie Holiday’s legacy.

Chances are that it’s a little bit of everything. Billie seems like an almost traditional choice, a logical feminine form of William, and a spirited name in the key of Molly – but much less expected.

What do you think of the baby name Billie?

First published on September 1, 2016, this post was revised on September 15, 2024.