Billy

This now reminds me of Billy Hargrove from Stranger Things. Someone who is very attractive yet can be quite rude/aggressive at times. A rebel perhaps. Billy IDOL is another rebel with this name!

A great name on its own. Catchy and strong. But a lot of people thought the same as I did in the mid 20th Century, and it came to be seen as a very common and unintellectual name. For me the first person I think of when I hear the name is Billy from the Billy & Mandy cartoon, which is not a great association at all. I think it's good as a nickname for William, calling a child Billy just feels like you're tying them down to a specific archetype. As a sidenote, I always saw Bill as a nerdy name. Funny how one letter can completely change the perception of a name.

What a wonderful name! It’s usually the name of a character in a horror movie who dies brutally.

Billy sounds like a goat. If you disagree, you are probably a Billy. In addition, William sounds nothing like Billy so it makes no sense that that is nickname. Lastly, Billy sounds like willy and that's never a good name.

Sounds so childish I don’t like it at all.

I suppose it would be okay as a nickname for William, but definitely not as a legal name. It also makes me think of the Billy goat's gruff story.

Wayyy better than Willy, but I still don't like it.

Makes me think of "hillbilly". It wouldn't be very good if his last name was Hill.

Billy goat gruff.

It would be cool to meet a girl named Billy. It reminds me of Billy Madison as well.

Reminds me of an obese little child.

This name is too hill-Billy-ish. No pun intended.

This name is beyond adorable! But I won't name my child it.

Billie Jean by Michael Jackson will always come to mind when I hear this name.

This is a really nice, cute name. ^_^

I know one guy called Billy, and that's his actual name, not William. It's a nice name for a little kid, but I can't help but think it might look a bit silly when he gets older.

Farmers, the lot of them.

I like this name. It means "Determined Protector" and sounds very brave and manly. I would name a child William, and call him Billy for short.

Really like the name :) so strong!

Not one of my fondest names, but it is like a pair of jeans, never gets old :)

This name is getting too popular. I don't know how people got Billy from William.

Didn't know Billy was a nickname for William. Like the commenter Julia, I don't know how you get Billy from William.

I knew a William that went by Billy, too, and he was an average boy - very nice, not super smart or super dumb, friendly, outgoing, and athletic. That's the kind of person I think of when I hear this name.
Billy is also used for girls in the South - or used to be, anyway (e.g. "Billy Jean"). I think Billy is a cute name for a girl or a nickname for a boy.

I really like the name William and the nickname Will but I really don't like the name Billy. It's partially because I didn't really like the few Billys I've met but it just seems like a stupid name to me.

I know a Billy. Well a William but he goes by Billy. He's actually really smart and nice. Kinda the opposite of what you think of when he you hear the name Billy. See? Stereotypes aren't true! But please don't name your kid Billy. William is a way cooler name, a Will is a better nickname.

Sounds like the name of a dumb country man or some little kid.