William
Meaning
"will" and "helmet," two old words fused into one name; carried to England by the Conqueror in 1066 and near the top of English boys' names for most of the thousand years since. Will, Liam, and Billy all live inside it
Goes by Bill, Billy, Liam, Will, and 2 more
Famously borne by William Lloyd Garrison, whose newspaper The Liberator became a leading voice against American slavery.
The story
William fuses two old Germanic words, will and helmet, desire and protection welded into one resolute name. It crossed to England with the Conqueror in 1066 and essentially never left, sitting at or near the top of English boys' names for most of the thousand years since, from kings and playwrights to the prince now in line for the throne. The American record shows the same stubbornness with one twist: strong in the 1890s, it eased very slowly, never dipping below solidly popular even at its low point from the 1970s through the 1990s, then turned and climbed back to full strength by the 2020s. Along the way its Irish short form Liam struck out on its own and conquered the charts separately, a son outgrowing the father. Will, Billy, and Liam all live inside it; the helmet, apparently, still fits.
William around the world
One shared root links 12 names across 3 languages.
Shared root: from Germanic Willahelm, wil "will, desire" + helm "helmet, protection"
The constellation
On record since at least the 10th century: William Long Sword, Count of Rouen.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. William peaked in the 1890s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Popularity in Brazil
95,539 people · the #330 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 2,128 · median age 29
Among people named William living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 2,475 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet William
People given the name William in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The William deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where William truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how William fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where William travels
Scandinavian · a top-ranked name in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in recent years
Global crossover · a top-10 name in the US, UK and much of the English-speaking and Germanic-speaking world for generations
Keep exploring
Names like William · Nicknames for William · Middle names for William · Scandinavian baby names · Global crossover names · Names of revolutionaries and liberators
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