William
Meaning of William
William, pronounced WIL-yum, began life as the Old German “Wil-helm,” a mix of “will” (desire) and “helm” (protection). The meaning is clear and catchy—“resolute protector.” History claps for this name: King William the Conqueror stormed England, William Shakespeare filled the world with verse, and Prince William keeps the royal buzz alive. Toss in freedom hero William Wallace and tech titan Bill Gates, and the name struts like a peacock in full feather. No surprise, then, that William has sat snugly in America’s Top 10 for most of the last century and still holds the 2024 rank of number 10. For Indian parents who love a global classic with a dash of chai-flavored charm, William feels both regal and friendly. Short, strong, and a tad poetic, it hints that the little lad will dream big and stand guard for those he loves—like a tiny knight ready at sunrise.
Pronunciation
British English
- Pronunced as WIL-yum (/wɪl.jəm//)
American English
- Pronunced as WIL-yum (/wɪl.jʌm//)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named William
| William Ewart Gladstone was a British statesman who led the Liberal Party and served four nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister between 1868 and 1894, plus four as Chancellor of the Exchequer, during a 60 year parliamentary career. |
| William Shatner is a Canadian actor best known for portraying Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek from 1966 to 1994. |
| William F. Buckley Jr. - William Frank Buckley Jr. was an influential American conservative author and commentator. |
| William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor known as the Bard who remains the most influential writer in English, with works still performed worldwide. |
| William O. Douglas was a US Supreme Court associate justice from 1939 to 1975, a staunch progressive and civil libertarian who became one of the youngest appointees and the court's longest-serving member. |
| William of Orange, known as William the Silent, led the Dutch revolt against Spain that sparked the Eighty Years War and Dutch independence, founded the Orange Nassau line, and is honored as Father of the Fatherland. |
| William I of Württemberg - William I reigned as King of Wurttemberg from October 30, 1816 until his death. |
| William Friedkin was an American New Hollywood director best known for The French Connection, which won Best Picture and earned him Best Director, and The Exorcist, which brought another Best Director nomination. |
| William Carlos Williams was an American poet and physician of modernism whose everyday imagery and the ambitious Paterson bridged poetry and visual art and earned him a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. |
| William Holden was a top 1950s American actor who won an Oscar for Stalag 17 and an Emmy for The Blue Knight. |
| William Justus Goebel was a Kentucky Democrat briefly sworn in as governor on his deathbed after being shot, the only sitting state governor in United States history to be assassinated. |
| William Castle was an American filmmaker known for gimmick filled 1950s and 1960s horror thrillers and for producing Rosemary's Baby. |
| William Dawbney Nordhaus is an American economist and former Yale Sterling Professor known for integrating climate change into macroeconomic models, work that earned him the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. |
| William Patrick Roache is an English actor best known for playing Ken Barlow on Coronation Street, where he has appeared continuously since 1960 and holds a Guinness World Record as the longest serving TV star in a continuous role. |
| William Grawn Milliken was a Republican businessman turned politician who served as Michigan’s longest-serving governor from 1969 to 1983, navigating auto industry decline, the PBB crisis, and championing environmental protection. |
