Williams is a surname of English origin derived from the personal name

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and the genitive ending -''s''. It is also common in Wales, where it represents an anglicization of the Welsh patronymic ''ap Gwilym''. Williams is the second most common surname in New Zealand, the third most common in Wales and the United States, and the fourth most common in Australia.

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

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 ja:ウィリアムズ

Earliest recorded usage

See also

References