Given name & surname · also German
William
“will”·“desire”·“helmet”
William combines Germanic ideas of resolve and protection, with a history in England reaching back to the Normans.
Original GermanWilhelm
Meaning & origin
What it means
Its elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination.
Where it comes from
William is an English form of a Germanic name brought to England by the Normans.
How it developed
The name joins the Germanic elements wil and helm. The second element began with the concrete image of a helmet and also carried the broader idea of protection.
The story
William spread widely in England after the Norman Conquest, among people beyond the Norman ruling class. It remained prominent through the Middle Ages and became a royal name in England, Germany, and the Netherlands.
William through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,215,725
- 4,199,696 boys · 16,029 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 67,156 babies
- 2025
- 10,552
- #9 for boys · #13,115 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −23%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10,545 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 22.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 67,002 in 1947. It also appeared in 7 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (892). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,240,114 as a first name in 2020; 11,890 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
William’s family of names
In English usage, William has a diminutive in Billy. In Spanish usage, William shares an earlier linguistic root with Guillermo. William has a related form in Willie.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
William has relatives in 74 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
153 related names in 74 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 60
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Liamdiminutive · English, Irish
- Wyattdiminutive · English
- Billiediminutive · English
- Wilsonshort form · English
- Billydiminutive · English
- Willdiminutive · English
- Williepet form · English
- Willisvariant
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Willemvariant · Dutch, Low German
- Williamsvariant · English
- Willypet form · English
- Wilhelmvariant · German, Polish
- Willianvariant · Spanish, Portuguese
- Wilkesvariant
- Billdiminutive · English
- Williamsonvariant · English
- Willliamlikely variant
- Willsclipped form · English
- Wwilliamlikely variant
- Williammlikely variant
- Gilliamvariant · English
- Wilkinsdiminutive · English
- Willediminutive · Swedish
- Gilldiminutive · English
- Wilmotvariant · English
- Willkievariant
- Willivariant
- Wilkinsonvariant
- Wilkievariant
- Billy Wigglestickdiminutive · English
- Wulliediminutive · Scots
- Wilielmusvariant · Latin
- Yamyamdiminutive · ceb
- Wulldiminutive · Scots
- Willockpet form · English
- Willamevariant · Middle English
- Villuvariant · Estonian
- Willemsvariant · English
- Wilcockdiminutive · English
- Gillumvariant · English
- Gillhamvariant · English
- Gillamvariant · English
- Gilhamvariant · English
- Willmottdiminutive · English
- Wilkenpet form · English
- Piladiminutive · Hawaiian
- Guillemettediminutive · French
- Wilmoddvariant
- Wilmodvariant
- Wimvariant · Dutch
- Wilmottvariant · English
- Williamonvariant
- Willhelmusvariant
- Wilhelmusvariant · Latin
- Wileckvariant
- Wilekvariant
- Villiamvariant · Swedish, Finnish
- Uiliamevariant · Portuguese
- Uíliamvariant · Portuguese
- Wm.variant · English
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 138
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Willafeminine form
- Guillermodoublet · Spanish, English
- Wilhelminafeminine form
- Wilmaequivalent
- ViliamiTongan
- Vilmafeminine form
- Wiliamequivalent
- Guilhermedoublet · Portuguese
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Willsonpatronymic from · English
- Lliamequivalent
- Willamequivalent
- Willimequivalent
- Illiamequivalent
- Guillaumedoublet · French, English
- Uilliamderivative · Irish
- Wilkenspatronymic from · English
- Williaminafeminine form · English
- Wilkinpatronymic from · English
- VilleFinnish
- VilhoFinnish
- Gwilymcognate · Welsh
- WillumScots
- ViliamuSamoan
- Helmafeminine form
- Wilhelminefeminine form
- Goulielmosequivalent
- Giliamequivalent
- Willjamequivalent
- Weilianequivalent
- Vilyamequivalent
- Vilhjelmequivalent
- Willihelmequivalent
- Wyllhaumeequivalent
- Gilermoequivalent
- وليمequivalent
- Dgilliaumeequivalent
- Уильямequivalent
- Vilhelmasequivalent
- Gllâomeequivalent
- Guilhemequivalent
- Wäl'mpîfeminine form · gmw-jdt
- উইলিয়ামborrowing · Bengali
- વિલિયમborrowing · Gujarati
- Wiyåmecognate · Walloon
- Willmentpatronymic from · English
- Willimentpatronymic from · English
- Willimottpatronymic from · English
- ΓουλιέλμοςGreek
- GuilhermoPortuguese
- Guglielmocognate · Italian
- Mcelligottderivative · English
- Culkinderivative · English
- Viliamderivative · Slovak
- Willmettpatronymic from · English
- Willmotpatronymic from · English
- Wilamaborrowing · Hawaiian
- Uilamaborrowing · Hawaiian
- Wiliamaborrowing · Hawaiian
- Viljamiborrowing · Finnish
- Viljocognate · Finnish
And 78 more.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named William
- William ShakespeareEnglish playwright and poet (1564–1616)
- Bill GatesAmerican businessman, investor, and philanthropist (born 1955)
- Bill Clinton42nd President of the United States (1993–2001)born 1946
- William BlakeEnglish poet and artist (1757–1827)
- W. B. YeatsIrish poet and playwright (1865–1939)
- Brad PittAmerican actor (born 1963)
- William Howard Taft27th President of the United States from 1909 to 1913 (1857–1930)
- William FaulknerAmerican writer (1897-1962)
- William McKinleypresident of the United States from 1897 to 1901 (1843-1901)
Characters named William: Shazam (DC Comics), William Riker (Star Trek), William Stryker (Marvel Comics), B. J. Blazkowicz (Wolfenstein videogames).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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