Willis

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɪlɪs/
• Rhymes: -ɪlɪs

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

Willis

1. An English surname originating as a patronymic from the name Will.
   • 2014, Eric L. Haralson, Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century, page 497:

     Forrest later attacked Willis in New York, knocking him to the ground; lawsuits proliferated as Willis sued Forrest for assault, and Forrest countersued for libel.

2. A male given name transferred from the surname.
3. A town in Grenada.
4. A number of places in the United States:
   1. An unincorporated community in Calhoun County, Florida.
   2. An unincorporated community in Knox County, Indiana.
   3. A city in Brown County, Kansas.
   4. An unincorporated community in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
   5. An unincorporated community in Dakota County, Nebraska.
   6. An unincorporated community in Marshall County, Oklahoma.
   7. A city in Montgomery County, Texas.
   8. An unincorporated community in Floyd County, Virginia.
   9. An unincorporated community in Russell County, Virginia.

Derived terms

• Willis circle
• Willis-Ekbom disease

 

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Willis is the 230^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 130,152 individuals. Willis is most common among White (62.22%) and Black (31.07%) individuals.

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Willis

1. plural of Willi

Dutch

Etymology

Derived from a dialectal variant of wildernis (“wilderness”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: Wil‧lis

Proper noun

Willis n

1. A neighbourhood of Zaanstad, North Holland, Netherlands