Wil is a name of German origin, derived from the Germanic elements 'wil' meaning 'will' or 'desire', and 'helm' meaning 'helmet'. It is considered to be a shortened form of Wilhelm, which was a popular name in medieval Germany. The name Wilhelm was introduced into England by the Normans after the Norman Conquest in 1066, but it did not become widely used until the 19th century.
In English-speaking countries, Wil is often associated with the Welsh poet and priest, William Butler Yeats, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. However, the name has been used throughout history in various cultures, and is not limited to any one nationality or language group.
Today, Wil is considered a simple yet strong-sounding name that can be given to boys of any origin.
The name Wil experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the years, with a marked increase starting from 1987 and peaking around the late 1990s to early 2000s, followed by a gradual decline thereafter. The highest number of births recorded for this name was 47 in 2003, and the lowest was 6 in multiple years (1953, 1960, 1974, 1977, 1978).