William
Sign in to saveAlso known as William (given name), William (first name)
William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English include Will or Wil, Wills, Willy, Willie, Bill, Billie, and Billy.
Key facts
- Given name.name
- William
- Given name.image
- Bayeux_Tapestry_William.jpg
- Given name.image_size
- 200px
- Given name.caption
- William the ConquerorThe name William became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066 by William the Conqueror.
- Given name.gender
- Male
- Given name.meaning
- "Vehement protector"
- Given name.region
- Northern Europe
- Given name.language
- Norman French, & Germanic languages
- Given name.name day
- October 28
- Given name.popularity
- popularity
via Wikipedia infobox
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
6 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- English history
- Variants
- People named William
- See also
- References
William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English include Will or Wil, Wills, Willy, Willie, Bill, Billie, and Billy.
A common Irish form is Liam. Scottish diminutives include Wull, Willie or Wullie (as in Oor Wullie). Female forms include Willa, Willemina, Wilma and Wilhelmina.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “William” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.