 | William name: Encyclopedia - William name
William (name)
William is a popular proper name of old Germanic origin. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman Conquest of 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. The modern German equivalent is "Wilhelm." It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm."
William name - Origins
William is derived from the Norman language, and of Germanic origin: "wil" = will, desire; "helm" = helmet, protection. The Old German name Wilhelm and the Old Norse name Vilhjálmr have the same roots. The Belgian name "Guildhelm" means "harnessed with a gilded helmet".
William name - English 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 (all of Germanic origin, transmitted through the Normans' use of Old French).
During the Middle Ages the word "cock" was used to describe a self-assured young man (taken after the image of a strutting 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 abandoned the usage of Catholic names such as William instead using Biblical names.
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).
William name - First Williams
Historic "first" Williams of national historic importance.
- 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.
- King William I of Ireland (1650-1702); William of Orange; why popular: Williamite war in Ireland (amongst Protestants).
- Emperor William I of Germany (1871-1888); Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; why popular: foundation of the German Empire.
William name - Name variants
Alternate forms include:
- Wilhelm (German).
- Willem (Dutch).
- Guglielmo (Italian).
- Guillaume (French).
- Guillermo (Spanish).
- Guilherme (Portuguese)
- Vilmos (Hungarian).
- Vilius, Viliumas (Lithuanian).
- Viljami, (Finnish).
- Vilhjálmur, (Icelandic).
- Bill.
- Billam
- Billie.
- Billie Jean.
- Billie Joe.
- Billy.
- Billy Bob.
- Bilton.
- Bo.
- Byll.
- Fitzwilliam(s).
- Gilham.
- Gillam.
- Gilliam.
- Gillman.
- 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.
Category: Given names
Other related archives1027, 1066, 1087, 1142, 1171, 11th century, 1214, 1583, 1584, 1650, 16th century, 1702, 1871, 1888, 1990, Anglo-Norman language, Belgian, Bill, Billy, Catholic, Christmas, Dutch, Eighty Years' War, English, English language, Finnish, French, German, German Empire, Germanic, Gillham, Gilliam, Given names, Guillaume, Henry the Young King, Hugh, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Lithuanian, Middle Ages, Norman Conquest, Norman language, Normans, Old French, Old German, Old Norse, Portuguese, Protestants, Reformation, Richard, Robert, Roger, Spanish, U.S. Census, Wilcox, Wilhelmina, Wilkes, Wilkins, Wilkinson, Willet, Willi, William I of England, William I of Germany, William I of Ireland, William I of Orange, William I of Scotland, Williamite war in Ireland, Williams, Williamson, Willian, Willing, Willis, Willy, Wilma, Wilmot, Wilson
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "William name", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
