William (given name): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:23, 29 August 2005

Revision as of 12:22, 5 September 2005

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:''See [[William]] for disambiguation.''

'''William''' is a popular proper name of [[Europe]]an origins. It is derived from anold [[Old FrenchGermanic]] name with Germanic elementsorigin. It became very popular in the [[English language]] after the [[Norman Conquest]] of [[1066]], and remained so throughout the [[Middle Ages]] and into the modern era. The modern German equivalent is "Wilhelm".

==Origins==

'''William''' is derived from ana [[Old FrenchNorman]] name withof Germanic elementsorigin: "wil" = will, desire; "helm" = helmet, protection. The [[Old German]] name Wilhelm deriveshas from Wel-helm (the shieldsame orroots. defenseBelgian of"Guildhelm" many), Weil-helm (protector of rest, defender of tranquility), Vil-helm (strong protector), Belgic Guild-helmmeans (harnessed with a gilded helmet).

==English history==

The [[English language|English]] "William" is taken from the [[Anglo-Norman language]] and was transmitted to England after the [[Norman Conquest]] in the [[11th century]], and soon became the most popular name in England, along with other Norman names such as [[Robert]], [[Richard]], [[Roger]], and [[Hugh]] (all of [[Germanic]] origin, transmitted through the [[Norman]]'s use of[[Old French]].

During the Middle Ages the word "cock" was used to describe a self-assured young man (taken after the image of a strutting self-assured rooster). As a result this nickname was applied to a number of names, including William which is where the name Wilcox comes from.

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Alternate forms include:

*Wilhelm ([[German language|Ger.German]]).

*Willem ([[Dutch language|Dut.Dutch]]).

*Guglielmo ([[Italian language|It.Italian]]).

*Guillaume ([[French language|Fr.French]]).

*Guillermo ([[Spanish language|Sp.Spanish]]).

*Guilherme ([[Portuguese Language|Pt.Portuguese]])

*Vilmos ([[Hungarian language|Hu.Hungarian]]).

*[[Bill]].

*Billie.