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 Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, 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 intelligib ...

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 Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, 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

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 ja:ウィリアムズ

Surname history

Earliest recorded usage

See also

Notes

References