William is a popular given name of an old Germanic origin. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of England 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, Willy, Bill, and Billy. A common Irish form is Liam. Female forms are Willa, Willemina, Willamette, Wilma and Wilhelmina.
Etymology
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William comes ultimately from the given name Wilhelm (cf. Old German Wilhelm > German Wilhelm and Old Norse Vilhjálmr). The Anglo-Saxon form should be *Wilhelm as well (although the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle refers to William the Conqueror as Willelm). That is a compound of two distinct elements : wil = "will or desire"; helm; Old English helm "helmet, protection"; > English helm "knight's large helmet".
In fact, the form William is from the Old Norman form Williame, because the English language should have retained helm. The development to -iam is the result of the diphthongation [iaÊ·] + [m] in Old Norman-French, quite similar in Old Central French [eaÊ·] + [m] from an early Gallo-Romance form WILLELMU. This development can be followed in the different versions of the name in the Wace's Roman de Rou.
The spelling and phonetics Wi- [wi] is a characteristic trait of the Northern French dialects, but the pronunciation changed in Norman from [wi] to [vi] in the 12th century (cf. the Norman surnames Villon and Villamaux "little William"), unlike the Central French and Southern Norman that turned the Germanic Wi- into Gui- [gwi] > [gi]. The Modern French spelling is Guillaume. . The first well-known carrier of the name was Charlemagne's cousin William of Gellone, a.k.a. Guilhelm, William of Orange, Guillaume Fierabrace, or William Short-Nose (755â€"812). This William is immortalized in the Chanson de Guillaume and his esteem may account for the name's subsequent popularity among European nobility.
According to Dutch legend, as recorded by Verstegan (1550 â€" 1640), William is originally derived from the Germanic name Gildhelm, meaning "golden helmet" and dates to Roman times. The name was later adapted as the more well known forms of "Wilhelm", and "Guillaume". Verstegen states that Gildhelm was a title of bravery awarded to a German for killing Roman soldiers in battle. The honored soldier was lifted on a shield and a golden helmet of a dead Roman soldier was placed upon his head, and the soldier was honored with the title "Gildhelm", or "golden helmit". With the French the title was Guildhaume, and Since Guillaume. Latin Guielmus "Helm" could also refer to the golden diadem or crown of a king as was common in the later days of the Roman empire.
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 (the English cognate was HrÄ"odbeorht), Richard, Roger (the English cognate was Hroðgar), Henry and Hugh (all of Germanic origin, transmitted through the Normans' use of Old French).
The name Wilkin is also of medieval origin taken from the shortened version of William (Will) with the suffix "kin" added.
Variants
- Shortened names
- Bill
- Billy
- Gil
- Will
- Willy, Willie
- Gui
- Guiguille, Guigui (French language)
- Guille (Spanish)
- Liam
- Memo (Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica)
- Yam
People named William
Royalty
British
- William I of England (1027â€"1087), a.k.a. William the Conqueror, or William the Bastard
- William II of England (1056â€"1100), a.k.a. William Rufus
- William I of Scotland (c. 1142â€"1214), a.k.a. William the Lion
- William IX, Count of Poitiers (1153â€"1156), first son of Henry II of England
- William III of England (1650â€"1702), also William II of Scotland, a.k.a. William of Orange
- William IV of the United Kingdom (1765â€"1837), King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death
- Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (born 1982), formerly Prince William of Wales, son of Charles, Prince of Wales
French
- William of Gellone (c.755â€"814), Count of Toulouse, canonized a saint
- William II, Prince of Orange (1626â€"1650), sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 14 March 1647 until his death three years later
- William IV, Prince of Orange (1711â€"1751), first hereditary Stadtholder of all the United Provinces
- William V, Prince of Orange (1748â€"1806), last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic
The Netherlands
- William I, Count of Holland (1167â€"1222), Count of Holland
- William II of Holland (1228â€"1256), also King of Germany
- William I, Prince of Orange (1533â€"1584), a.k.a. William the Silent
- William II, Prince of Orange (1626â€"1650), stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands
- William III of Orange (1650â€"1702), also William III of England and William II of Scotland
- William I of the Netherlands (1772â€"1843), Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- William II of the Netherlands (1792â€"1849), King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg
- William III of the Netherlands (1817â€"1890), King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg
Sicily
- William I of Sicily (1131â€"1166), a.k.a. William the Bad or William the Wicked
- William II of Sicily (1155â€"1189), a.k.a. William the Good
- William III of Sicily (1190â€"1198), last Norman King of Sicily, reigning briefly for ten months in 1194
Cameroon
- William I of Bimbia, 19th-century king of the Isubu people
- William II of Bimbia (died 1882), king of the Isubu people
Other
- William II of Villehardouin (died 1278), Prince of Achaea
- William of Werle (died 1436/94-1436), Lord of Werle-Güstrow
- William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1852â€"1912)
- William, Prince of Albania (1876â€"1945), from March to September 1914
Pre-modern era
British
- William (bishop of the Isles) (died 1095), bishop of what later became the Diocese of the Isles
- William de Corbeil (c. 1070â€"1136), Archbishop of Canterbury
- William of Malmesbury (died 1143), English historian and monk
- William of Tyre (c. 1130â€"1185), Archbishop of Tyre, chronicler of the Crusades
- William of Norwich (c. 1132â€"1144), saint and martyr
- William of York (died 1154), Archbishop of York and saint
- William (bishop of Moray) (died 1162), Roman Catholic bishop in Scotland
- William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146/7-1219), Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman
- William of Ramsey (fl. 1219), 13th-century English monk and hagiographer
- William (bishop of Dunblane) (died early 1290s), Tironensian abbot and bishop in the Kingdom of Scotland
- William Wallace (died 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
- William of Ockham (1287â€"1347), English friar and philosopher, originator of Occam's Razor
- William of Wykeham (1320â€"1404), Bishop of Winchester, founder of Winchester College and New College, Oxford
French
- William I, Duke of Normandy (r. 927â€"942), second Duke of Normandy
- William of Poitiers (c. 1020â€"1090), Norman chronicler, chaplain to William the Conqueror
- William de St-Calais (died 1096), a.k.a. William of St. Carilef, Norman abbot, Bishop of Durham
- William (bishop of Orange) (died 1098), took part in the First Crusade
- William of Champeaux (1070â€"1121), French philosopher and theologian
- William of Conches (c. 1090-c. 1154), French scholastic philosopher, tutor of Henry II of England
- William of Donjeon (c. 1155â€"1209), a.k.a. St. William of Bourges and St. William the Confessor, French archbishop
- William the Clerk 13th century Scoto-Norman poet, writer of the Old French Roman de Fergus
- William the Clerk of Normandy, 13th century Norman cleric and Old French poet
- William of Auxerre (died 1231), French theologian
Other
- William (marcha orientalis) (died 871), 9th century margrave of the March of Pannonia, part of the Carolingian Empire
- William (archbishop of Mainz) (929â€"968), German bishop, son of Emperor Otto the Great
- William of St-Thierry (died 1148), theologian and mystic, abbot of St. Thierry
- William of Moerbeke (1215â€"1286), Flemish bishop, translator of philosophical, medical, and scientific texts
- William Caxton (c. 1422â€"c. 1491), English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer, thought to have brought the first printing press into England
Modern era
- William Blake (1757â€"1827), English poet, painter and printmaker
- William Bradford (Plymouth Colony governor) (1590-1657)
- William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), American orator and politician
- William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008), American conservative author and commentator
- William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), American writer and artist
- William Calley (born 1943), United States Army officer court-martialed for the Vietnam War My Lai Massacre
- William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (1520-1598), English statesman, chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer
- William Conrad (1920-1994), American actor
- William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898), British statesman, four-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- William Halsey Jr. (1882-1959), United States Navy fleet admiral known as "Bull" Halsey
- William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), American businessman, politician, and newspaper publisher
- William Hogarth (1697-1764), English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist
- William Dean Howells (1837-1920), American novelist, literary critic and playwright
- William Holden (1918-1981), American actor
- William Hurt (born 1950), American actor
- William Lee (author) (born 1954), Chinese-American writer and ex-gang member
- William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950), Prime Minister of Canada
- William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779-1848), British statesman, Prime Minister and political mentor to Queen Victoria
- William Matheson (Gaelic scholar) (1910-1995), Scottish Gaelic scholar, and ordained minister of the Church of Scotland
- William Matthews (priest) (1770â€"1854), American Catholic priest and President of Georgetown College
- William Penhaligon (1837-1902), Cornish barber and perfumer
- William Penn (1644-1718), English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, early Quaker and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania
- William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708-1778), British statesman, Prime Minister of Great Britain
- William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806), British statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, son of the above
- William Saroyan (1908-1981), American novelist, playwright and short story writer
- William H. Seward (1801-1872), United States Secretary of State, Governor of New York and senator
- William Shakespeare (1565-1616), English poet, playwright and actor
- William Shatner (born 1931), Canadian actor
- William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), American Civil War Union general
- William Howard Taft (1857-1930), 27th President of the United States and 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
- William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863), British novelist and author
- William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824-1907), Scots-Irish mathematical physicist and engineer
- William Turner (disambiguation)
- William M. Tweed (1823-1878), American politician better known as "Boss" Tweed
- William Westmoreland (1914-2005), United States Army general, commander of American forces in the Vietnam War
- William Wilberforce (1759-1833), English politician, philanthropist and anti-slavery activist
- William Carlos Williams (1883-1963), Puerto Rican poet
- William Wordsworth (1770â€"1850), English Romantic poet
- will.i.am, stage name of American singer/songwriter William James Adams (born 1975)
Fictional characters
- William Brown, main character of the Just William novel series
- William Tell, Swiss folk hero
- Baby William, son of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in the American television series, The X-Files
- William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz, main protagonist of the Wolfenstein (series)
- William Bludworth, a character from Final Destination and Final Destination 2 and Final Destination 5
References
See also
- Billy (disambiguation)
- Bill (disambiguation)
- Wilhelm (disambiguation)
- William Street (disambiguation)
- Saint William (disambiguation)
- King William (disambiguation)
- All pages beginning with "William"
