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Will - Origin and Meaning of the name

Meaning of the name Will

[ 1 syll. wi-(l)(l), wil-l ] The boy name Will is pronounced WIHL or WahL KEY. Will has its origins in the Germanic, Old English, and English languages. It is used largely in English. Germanic, Old English, and English origin: The name developed as a short form of William and other names containing the first element wil ('will, desire'). It has been used since the early medieval period. A variant form of Will is the English Willard.

In addition, Will is an English pet form of the English and German Wilbert.

Will is also a pet form of the English Wilton.

Will is also a variant form of the English Wildon.

Will is also a short form of the English Willis.

Will is also a pet form of the English Wilson.

Will is also a short form of the English Wilbur.

Will is also a short form of the English Wilfred.

Will is also an English short form of the English and French William.

Will is also an English pet form of the English and Scandinavian Wilmer.

Will is an all-time favorite. Currently it is still rather popular as a baby boy name, but not as much as it was in the past. In 1900, 0.371% of baby boys were named Will. It was #43 in rank then. The baby name has substantially slipped in popularity since then, and in recent times it is of only modest use. In 2008, it ranked at #587 with a usage of 0.020%. Among the family of boy names directly related to Will, the English and French William was the most commonly used. It was 43 times more frequently used than Will in 2008.

Baby names that sound like Will include the English Wil, the Arabic Wail, the English Wal, the English Wallie, the English Wally, the German Walo, the English and German Willi, the English and Scandinavian Willie, and the English and German Willy.

Details of famous persons named Will:
Actor Will Ferrell, born 16 July 1967, Irvine, California.
Animator Will Vinton, born 1948, McMinnville, Oregon.
Cartoonist Will Eisner, born 6 March 1917 - 3 January 2005, Brooklyn, New York.
Humorist Will Rogers, born William Penn Adair Rogers 4 November 1879 - 15 August 1935.
Singer Will Smith, born 25 September 1968, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

KEY: Pronunciation for Will: W as in "we (W.IY)" ; IH as in "it (IH.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; W as in "we (W.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)"


 
Popularity Trend
for Will
from 1900 to 2008
Variant Popularity Chart
for Will
in 2008
 

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