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William is a popular proper name of old Germanic origin.^[1] 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." The name's shortened familiar version in English is Bill or Billy. Look up will in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Billy has several meanings. ... Look up willy, willie, willies in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Wilhelm, the German equivalent of the forename William, can refer to: Rulers: Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia and German Emperor Wilhelm II, German Emperor, grand-son of the former, King of Prussia and German Emperor Wilhelm von Holland, King of Germany and Count of Holland First names: Wilhelm... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Wilhelm, the German equivalent of the forename William, can refer to: Rulers: Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia and German Emperor Wilhelm II, German Emperor, grand-son of the former, King of Prussia and German Emperor Wilhelm von Holland, King of Germany and Count of Holland First names: Wilhelm...

Origins

William is from the Norman language derived from the German Wilhelm, and of Germanic origin: wil = "will, desire"; helm = "helmet, protection";^[1] thus 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". Norman is a Romance language and one of the Oïl languages. ... Old German could refer to: Old High German Old Low German (also Old Saxon) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Old Norse is the Germanic language spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300. ...

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). The name was so popular, in fact, that history records 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. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... Look up Robert in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the street football game, see Richard (football). ... Roger is primarily a common first name of English, French and Catalan usage, from the Germanic elements hrod (fame) and ger (spear) meaning famous with the spear. The Latin form of the name is Rogerius, as used by a few medieval figures. ... Hugh is a male given name. ... Norman conquests in red. ... Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300. ... Henry, the Young King Henry the Young King (February 28, 1155–June 11, 1183) was the second of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ...

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. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

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). The U.S. Census is mandated by the United States Constitution. ...

First Williams

The following historic "first" Williams are of national historic importance.

• King William I of England (1027-1087); William the Conqueror, William the Bastard; Norman Conquest of England.
• King William I of Scotland (1142-1214); William the Lion; Scottish royal standard bears his symbol.
• Prince William I of Orange (1533-1584); William the Silent, "Father of the fatherland"; Eighty Years' War leads to Dutch independence.
• King William III of England (William I of Ireland) (1650-1702); William III of Orange;Williamite war in Ireland (amongst Protestants).
• William I, King of Prussia, German Emperor (1871-1888); Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; first leader of a truly unified Germany of the modern era, as Kaiser of the German Empire.

William I of England (c. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... William I the Lion ( known in Gaelic as Uilliam Garm1 or William the Rough), (1142/1143 - December 4, 1214) reigned as King of Scots from 1165 to 1214. ... William I (William the Silent) William I, Prince of Orange, Count of Nassau (April 24, 1533 – July 10, 1584) was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. ... Combatants Dutch rebels Spanish Empire The Eighty Years War, or Dutch Revolt (1568[1]–1648), was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Netherlands against the Spanish (Habsburg) Empire. ... William III of England, also known as William II of Scotland, and William III of Orange (The Hague, 14 November 1650 – Kensington Palace, 8 March 1702) was a Dutch aristocrat, the Prince of Orange from his birth, Stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic from 28 June 1672... For the context of this war see Jacobitism and Glorious Revolution. ... William I (William Frederick Louis, German: ) (March 22, 1797 – March 9, 1888) of the House of Hohenzollern was a King of Prussia (January 2, 1861 – 9 March 1888) and the first German Emperor (18 January 1871 – 9 March 1888). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ...

Name variants

Alternate forms include:

• Wilhelm (German, Polish)
• Willem, Wim (Dutch, Low German)
• Wiremu (Maori)
• 威廉 - Wēi Lián (Chinese)
• ウィルヘルム - Uiruherumu (Japanese)
• Gulielmus (Latin)
• Guglielmo (Italian)
• Guillaume (French)
• Guildhelm (Flemish)
• Guilhem (Occitan)
• Guillem (Catalan)
• Guillén (Aragonese)
• Guillermo (Spanish)
• Guilherme (Portuguese)
• Gwilym (Welsh)
• Gwilherm (Breton)
• Illiam (Manx Gaelic)
• Uilleam (Gaelic)
• װֶעלװֶעל - Velvel (Yiddish)
• Vilhelm (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)
• Vilhelmo (Esperanto)
• Vilem (Slovak)
• Viliam (Slovene)
• Вилим - Vilim (Serbian, Croatian)
• Vilém (Czech)
• Vilmos, Béla* (Hungarian)
• Vilhelms (Latvian)
• Vilius, Viliumas (Lithuanian)
• Viljami, Ville (Finnish)
• Vilhjálmur (Icelandic)
• Γουλιέλμος - Gouliélmos (Greek)

*While not actually a variant, Béla is also often changed into/translated as William/Wilhelm. Low German (in Low German, Platt(düütsch) or Nedderdüütsch) is any of a variety of West Germanic languages spoken in northern Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. ... Māori (or Maori) is the Polynesian language spoken in New Zealand, where it has official status. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The term Flemish language can designate: the official language of Flanders, which is Dutch with only very small variations; any of the regional dialects of Dutch spoken in Belgium; these are more different from Dutch than the official language of Flanders; one of these dialects, the West Flemish. ... Occitan (IPA AmE: ), known also as Lenga dòc or Langue doc (native name: occitan [1], lenga dòc [2]; native nickname: la lenga nòstra [3] i. ... Catalan IPA: (català IPA: or []) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra, and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia , and in the city of LAlguer in the Italian island of Sardinia. ... Aragonese redirects here. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... Breton (Brezhoneg) is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany (Breizh) in France. ... Manx (Gaelg or Gailck), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language spoken on the Isle of Man. ... Goidelic is one of two major divisions of modern-day Celtic languages (the other being Brythonic). ... Yiddish (Yid. ... Esperanto flag Esperanto is a constructed international auxiliary language. ... Serbian (; ) is one of the standard versions of the Shtokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and by Serbs in the Serbian diaspora. ...

See also

• All pages beginning with "William"

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, Oxford Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1, p.276.