Germanic · Boy name
William
“resolute protector”
About the name William
William comes from the Germanic name Willahelm, composed of wil, meaning will or desire, and helm, meaning helmet or protection. It reached England with William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings and became king of England. The name has since been borne by several English kings and by William Shakespeare, author of Hamlet and Macbeth. Its many European forms include Wilhelm in German, Guillaume in French, Guglielmo in Italian, and Willem in Dutch, while Liam is a short form from the Irish Uilliam.
- Meaning
- resolute protector
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Boy
- Pronunciation
- WIL-yum(2 syl.)
Variants and spellings
- Wilhelm
- Guillaume
- Guglielmo
- Willem
- Liam
If you like William
Middle names for William
- William James
- William Alexander
- William Thomas
- William Henry
- William Joseph
Questions about William
- What does William mean?
- William is a Germanic name meaning "resolute protector".
- How do you pronounce William?
- William is pronounced WIL-yum, with emphasis on the first syllable.
- What are variants of William?
- Variants of William include Wilhelm, Guillaume, Guglielmo, Willem, Liam.
More names like this: Germanic baby names