Willoughby

The name Willoughby derives from Old English elements "willa" (will/desire) and "by" (settlement), literally meaning "settlement of a man named Willa" or "willful settlement." It originated as a place name in Lincolnshire, England, and became used as a surname and given name primarily in English-speaking cultures.

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Etymology

The name Willoughby derives from Old English elements "willa" (will/desire) and "by" (settlement), literally meaning "settlement of a man named Willa" or "willful settlement." It originated as a place name in Lincolnshire, England, and became used as a surname and given name primarily in English-speaking cultures.

The name is predominantly used in English and Anglo-American societies, with notable historical figures including the 16th-century English navigator Sir Hugh Willoughby and various British nobility and gentry families bearing the Willoughby surname from medieval times onward.

Willoughby currently ranks #14,167 in the United States as a boy's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1923.