Williams is a common
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
form of the name
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
that originated in medieval England,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, France, and Italy.
[Reaney & Wilson p.493]
The meaning is derived from ''son'' or ''descendant of William'', the Northern
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
form that also gave the English name William. Derived from an
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...
given name with
Germanic elements; ''will'' = desire, will; and ''helm'' = helmet, protection. It can be an
Anglicised
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
form of the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
surname Willems. It is the second most common surname in New Zealand; third most common in Wales and the United States and fourth most common in Australia.
Surname history
The English name Williams is a patronymic surname, derived from the personal name Williams and is takes its names from the
Old German words Willihelm and Willelm (the Norman French version was Guillaume). In the aftermath of
1066 Norman invasion of England, Williams became the most popular surname in Britain during that period.
In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, Williams ranks as 3rd most common surname.
Earliest recorded usage
* Willam is from 1279 in Oxfordshire.
* William is from 1299 in Whitby, Yorkshire.
[
* Williames is from 1307 in Staffordshire.][Reaney & Wilson p.493, sourced from the Staffordshire Assize Rolls]
See also
* List of people with surname Williams Williams is a common European surname. This list provides links to biographies of people who share this common surname.
Common combinations of given name and surname Williams
* Aaron Williams
* Alan Williams
* Albert Williams
* Alex Williams
* ...
* Williams baronets
* Williams family of Caerhays and Burncoose
* R. H. Williams (disambiguation)
Notes
References
PH Reaney & RM Wilson, ''A Dictionary of English Surnames:The Standard Guide to English Surnames'', Oxford University Press, 1995, .
{{Authority control
English-language surnames
Surnames of English origin
Surnames of Welsh origin
Anglicised Welsh-language surnames
Anglo-Cornish surnames
Patronymic surnames
Surnames from given names
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