William name - Meaning of William
- Gender
- Masculine
- Lucky Number
- 7
- Usage
- English, Germanic
- Pronounced
- WIL-ee-əm, WIL-yəm, WIL-ee-əm/WIL-yəm
- William Meaning
- From the Germanic name Willahelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". Saint William of Gellone was an 8th-century cousin of Charlemagne who became a monk. The name was common among the Normans, and it became extremely popular in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England. It was later borne by three other English kings, as well as rulers of Scotland, Sicily (of Norman origin), the Netherlands and Prussia. Other famous bearers include William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero, and William Tell, a legendary 14th-century Swiss hero. In the literary world it was borne by dramatist William Shakespeare (1564-1616), poet William Blake (1757-1827), poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850), dramatist William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), author William Faulkner (1897-1962), and author William S. Burroughs (1914-1997). William originates in Germanic languages and means "strong mind and protection". It became a popular masculine given name in England after William the Conqueror was recognized as the first Norman king of England. Since then, the name has been extremely popular within royalty, borne by various kings and rulers. In the United States its popularity dropped in the 1970s, but started gaining it back in the new millennium and is currently one of parents’ most favorite boy’s names.
William Related Names
Diminutives: Bill, Billie, Billy, Liam, Wil, Will, Willie, Willy
Feminine Form: Willa
Other Languages: Wilhelm, Willahelm (Ancient Germanic), Gwilherm (Breton), Guillem (Catalan), Vilim, Vilko (Croatian), Vilém (Czech), Vilhelm (Danish), Wilhelmus, Willem, Jelle, Pim, Wil, Willy, Wim (Dutch), Vilhelmo, Vilĉjo (Esperanto), Villem (Estonian), Vilhelm, Viljami, Jami, Vilhelmi, Vilho, Vili, Viljo, Ville (Finnish), Guillaume (French), Wilhelm, Willi, Willy, Wim (German), Vilhelm, Vilmos, Vili (Hungarian), Vilhjálmur (Icelandic), Uilliam, Liam, Uilleag, Ulick (Irish), Guglielmo (Italian), Vilhelms, Vilis (Latvian), Wöllem, Wullem, Wum (Limburgish), Vilhelmas (Lithuanian), Illiam (Manx), Wiremu (Maori), Wilkin, Wilky, Wilmot (Medieval English), Vilhelm (Norwegian), Wilhelm (Polish), Guilherme (Portuguese), Uilleam (Scottish), Viliam (Slovak), Viljem, Vili, Vilko (Slovene), Guillermo (Spanish), Vilhelm, Ville (Swedish), Gwilym, Gwil, Gwilim, Gwillym (Welsh)
William Celebrities
William Jefferson Clinton - former US President, William Harrison - former US President, William McKinley - former US President, William Taft - former US President, William Baldwin - actor, William Campbell - golfer, William Faulkner - author, William Shatner - actor,
