for other uses of William see William (disambiguation)

William is derived from an Old French name with Germanic elements: "wil" = will, desire; "helm" = helmet, protection. The Old German name Wilhelm derives from Wel-helm (the shield or defense of many), Weil-helm (protector of rest, defender of tranquility), Vil-helm (strong protector), Belgic Guild-helm (harnessed with a gilded helmet).

History

The English "William" is taken from the Anglo-Norman language and was transmitted to England after the Norman Conquest in the 11th century, and soon became the most popular name in England, along with other Norman names such as Robert, Richard, Roger, and Hugh.

During the Middle Ages the word "cock" was used to describe a self-assured young man (taken after the image of a struting self-assured rooster). As a result this nickname was applied to a number of names, including William which is where the name Wilcox comes from.

The name Wilkin is also of medieval origin taken from the shortened version of William (Will) with the suffix "kin" added. Kin means small or little, thus Wilkin means "Little William".

In the 16th century during the Reformation, Protestants abandonded the usage of Catholic names such as William instead using Biblical names.

Trivia

William was the most popular name in England during the Middle Ages (after the Norman Conquest) which may be illustrated by an event in Normandy in 1171 where Henry the Young King held court for Christmas which included 110 knights named "William"-- the Williams had gathered in a room and refused to allow any one to eat with them, unless they were named William.

According to the 1990 U.S. Census the name William is the 5th most popular first name with %2.451 of the male population (around three million). The last name Williams is the 3rd most popular last name with %0.699 of the population (around 1,747,500 people).

First William's

Historic "first" Williams whose popularity helped spread the transmission of the name.

• King William I of England (1027-1087); William the Conqueror, William the Bastard; why popular: Norman Conquest.
• King William I of Scotland (1142-1214); William the Lion; why popular: Scottish royal standard bears his symbol.
• Prince William I of Orange (1583-1584); William the Silent, "Father of the fatherland"; why popular: Eighty Years' War leads to Dutch independence.
• Emperor William I of Germany (1871-1888); Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; why popular: foundation of the German Empire.

Name variants

Alternate forms include: Wilhelm (Ger.), Willem (Dut.), Guillaume (Fr.), Guillermo (Sp.), Vilmos (Hu.), Bill, Billie, Billie Jean, Billie Joe, Billy, Billy Bob, Bilton, Bo, Byll, Fitzwilliam(s), Gilham, Gillam, Gilliam, Gillman, Guilherme, Guilielm, Gillham, Gillum, Guglielmino, Guglielmo, Guillaume, Guillem, Guillermo, Guilluame, Gullam, Gwil, Gwilliam, Gwilim, Gwill, Gwillym, Gwilym, Gwylim, Helmie, Lyam (Liam), MacWilliam(s), McWilliam(s), Minnie, Quilliam, Uillaim, Uilleam, Ulick, Vilelmo, Vilem, Vilhelm, Uilleam, Uilliam, Welliam, Wilcock, Wilcocke, Wilcocks, Wilcox, Wilda, Wileen, Wilek, Wilemse, Wilheim, Wilhelm, Wilhelmina, Wiliam, Wiliama, Wilie, Wilken, Wilkens, Wilkenson, Wilkerson, Wilkes, Wilkie, Wilkin, Wilkins, Wilkinson, Will, Willa, Willcocks, Willcockson, Willcox, Willcoxon, Willem, Willemse, Willet, Willi, Williard, Williams, Williamsen, Williamson, Willian, Willie, Williford, Willimont, Willimott, Willing, Willis, Willmett, Willmin, Willmon, Willmott, Wills, Willson, Willy, Wilma, Wilmin, Wilmot, Wilson, Wim.

External links

• Origin of the Name