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Bill (or at least Billy) was used as a pet form well before the 19th century. There was a song called "Billy and Molly" which was already popular in the 1690s -- though it has been lost, at least three other songs that say "to be sung to the tune of "Billy and Molly" were published in that decade. In 1699, a satirical novel called "The Essex Champion; or the famous history of Sir BIlly of Billericay" by William WInstanley was published in England. On the first page of that novel it's said the title character was christened as William but in the next sentence he's immediately called "Billy" with no indication that would be considered unusual. William of Orange (King WIlliam III of England) is usually called "King Billy" in Northern Ireland. I haven't yet been able to find information on when the first written example of that was printed, but many people think the spread of Bill and Billy from Ireland to England was prompted by the Irish using that nickname for the king after the Battle of Boyne in 1690. [noted -ed]
Also Guernésiais: http://dbooks.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/books/PDFs/590676737.pdf
Slang for cash. And Bill Clinton.
Wedding Bell Blues, a song which I know through the TV show Gilmore Girls (featured in the episode of the same name). For those reasons, this name is tied up with positive associations for me.
In 2018, 51 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Bill* who is registered male with the Social Security Administration. It is the 463rd most common male first name for living U.S. citizens. *as a first name, not a nickname (as hard as it is to imagine someone naming their infant "Bill")
The name Bill was given to 33 boys born in the US in 2015.

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