William, of Germanic origin, means 'resolute protection' and is composed of two elements: 'wil,' meaning will or desire, and 'helm,' meaning helmet. It entered England via the Normans in the 11th century, with William the Conqueror being one of the most notable bearers of this name.
These statistics show a significant increase in the popularity of the name William from around 1915 onwards, peaking between 1923 and 1965 with an average of over 20 births per year during this period. However, there has been a steady decline since then, with fewer than 10 births per year occurring annually since 2004. Overall, the name William was chosen for 1597 babies in total during these years.