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 [ 2 syll. wi-(l)liam, wil-li-am ] The boy name William is pronounced as WIHLYahM KEY. William is used chiefly in the English and French languages, and it is derived from Germanic origins. Two-element name derived from the elements 'wil' meaning will, desire ; 'helm' meaning helmet, protection. The name was introduced by the Normans into England. It was borne by William the Conqueror (1027-1087), the first Norman king of England. The name was adopted by the English after the conquest and became the most popular male name for a period in the Middle Ages before being overtaken by John. The name was borne by the famous English poet and playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The name was also borne by members of royalty in Germany, Netherlands, Sicily, and Albania. It was also borne by numerous members of the British royal family, including Prince William (1982-). The name Wilhelmina (Dutch, English, and German) is the female form of William. The name William is widely used; it has 84 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of William used in English include DeWill, Ulick (used in Irish as well), Vas (used in Russian as well), Wileen, Willam, Willard, Williams, Williamson, Willian, Wilmot, Wilson, and Wolf (used in German, Hebrew, and Yiddish as well). Other English forms include the short forms Bill and Will, the pet forms Billie, Billy, Bo, Byll, Willi (used in German as well), Willie (used in Scandinavian as well), Wills, and Willy (used in German as well), and the variant spelling Wiliam. Foreign variants of William include Giermo (Spanish), Gigermo (Spanish), Gijermo (Spanish), Gillermo (Spanish), Guglielmo (Italian), Guilermo (Spanish), Guilermon (Spanish), Guilherme (Portuguese), Guilielmus (Dutch), Guillamus (French), Guillaume (French), Guille (Spanish), Guillelmo (Spanish), Guillem (Catalan and Spanish), Guillermino (Spanish), Guillermo (Spanish), Guillo (Spanish), Guirmo (Spanish), Gullermo (Spanish), Gwilim (Welsh), Gwill (Welsh), Gwilym (Welsh), Gwyllim (Welsh), Ilermo (Spanish), Jelle (Dutch), Memo (Spanish), Quillermo (Spanish), Uilleam (Scottish), Uilliam (Irish), Vasilak (Russian), Vasili (Russian), Vasilios (Greek), Vasiliy (Russian), Vaska (Russian), Vassili (Russian), Vassily (Russian), Vassos (Greek), Vasya (Russian), Vasyl (Russian and Ukrainian), Vila (Czech), Vilek (Czech), Vilelmo (Italian), Vilem (Czech), Vilém (Czech), Vilhelm (Scandinavian and Slavic), Vili (Hungarian), Viliam (Czech), Viljo (Finnish), Vilko (Czech), Ville (Finnish and Scandinavian), Vilmos (Hungarian), Vilous (Czech), Vilppu (Finnish), Welfel (Yiddish), Wilheim (Dutch and Scandinavian), Wilhelm (German and Scandinavian), Wilko (Frisian and German), Willem (Dutch and German), and Wiremu (Maori). Specific foreign variants include the short forms Liam (Irish) and Wim (German). See also the related forms, Wilkie (English) and Willis (English). William is a classic favorite. At present it is still a very popular baby name for boys, though to a lesser extent than it was before. In 1900, 5.288% of baby boys were given the name William. Its ranking then was #2. The baby name has since fallen in popularity, and is today of moderate use. In 2008, its usage was only 0.844% and its ranking #8, but it was nonetheless the most popular out of all boy names in its group. In 2008, William was thrice as popular as the next most popular name, Liam (Irish). The name William has been predominantly given to boys, though it has also been used as a girl name in the past century. In 1987, boys named William outnumbered girls by 138 times. Baby names that sound like William include Waylon (English), Wileen (English), Wilheim (Dutch and Scandinavian), Wilhelm (German and Scandinavian), Willam (English), Willem (Dutch and German), Willian (English), Walena (Hawaiian), and Wiliam (English). Details of famous persons named William: KEY: Pronunciation for William: W as in "we (W.IY)" ; IH as in "it (IH.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; Y as in "yield (Y.IY.L.D)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; M as in "me (M.IY)"   |
