 William the Conqueror The name William became popular in England after theNorman conquest in 1066 by William the Conqueror. | |
| Pronunciation | /wɪljəm/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Language(s) | Norman French, &Germanic languages |
| Name day | October 28 |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | "Vehement protector" |
| Region of origin | Northern Europe |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | |
| Related names | |
| Popularity | seepopular names |
| [1] | |
William is a masculinegiven name ofGermanic origin. It became popular in England after theNorman conquest in 1066,[2] and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English includeWill or Wil, Wills,Willy,Willie,Bill,Billie, andBilly.
A commonIrish form isLiam.Scottishdiminutives include Wull, Willie or Wullie (as inOor Wullie). Female forms includeWilla,Willemina,Wilma andWilhelmina.
William is related to theGerman given nameWilhelm. Both ultimately descend fromProto-Germanic*Wiljahelmaz, with a direct cognate also in theOld Norse nameVilhjalmr and a West Germanic borrowing into Medieval LatinWillelmus. The Proto-Germanic name is acompound of *wiljô "will, wish, desire" and *helmaz "helm, helmet".[3]
By regular sound change, Proto-Germanic *Wiljahelmaz should have also descended into English as *Wilhelm, but this latter form is unattested in written English of any period; theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle refers toWilliam the Conqueror asWillelm, a back-formation from the Medieval Latin variant.[4] The formWilliam is a back-borrowing fromOld NormanWilliame, a specifically northern Norman reflex of Medieval LatinWillelmus (compare the Central French cognateGuillaume). The development of the name's northern Norman form can be traced in the different versions of the name appearing inWace'sRoman de Rou.[5]
The first well-known bearer of the name wasCharlemagne's cousinWilliam of Gellone (755–812). This William is immortalized in theChanson de Guillaume, and the esteem in which he was held may account for the name's subsequent popularity among European nobility.
The English "William" is taken from theAnglo-Norman language and was transmitted to England after the Norman conquest in the 11th century, and soon became the most popular name in England[citation needed], along with other Norman names such asRobert (the English cognate wasHrēodbeorht, which by regular sound changes would have developed into something along the lines of "Reedbart"[6][7])[better source needed],Richard,Roger (the English cognate wasHroðgar[8]), andHenry (all of Germanic origin and may have been transmitted through the Normans' use ofOld French).
The nameWilkin/Wilkins is also of medieval origin, taken from the shortened version of William (Will) with the suffix "kin" added.[9][better source needed]
