William

This is a good name, but I know way too many. This was supposed to be my grandfather’s name (early 40s). His dad and grandfather were named George. His mother named him William George. His dad was fighting in World War 2. The grandfather told the hospital that the name was wrong, and it was George William. They “fixed” it, but his mom didn’t know. She wrote “Little Billy” in her letters to her husband. I don’t know how she found out it was really George. What I do know is that she told my grandfather when my dad was born there would not be a a George the Fourth. Anyway, William is a good name, but I do know a lot.

Extremely outdated.

Anonymous user 2/18/2024, since when is William an outdated name? It’s literally a top 10 name at the moment. It has also always been a top 20 name in the top 1000 chart.

This name ages really well.

Let's see if I understand... Some of you don't like the name because it's associated with William Afton from the games, and now the famous movie, Five Nights at Freddy's? Just because the character has that name doesn't mean that the person called William is a child killer, I'm a FnaF fan and I'm oblivious enough in real life to know that and things aren't always about my fandom.

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William is a classic name, it reminds me of royalty and I always think of a very polite and kind person with that name. I really love the nicknames Billy and Willy! They're cute and honestly I would call someone named William that, if they felt comfortable of course.

I love this name. It is a strong, classic name that never seems dated. I think of someone who is intelligent with great self-control and very skillful. I’m naming my son this, if my husband will be on board.

Here are 2 reasons why I don't like this name:
1. I know 2 very naughty and annoying and mean William's who are very immature.
2. This name seems very old to me and I hate old names and I don't think it would suit a baby with it.

Actually I changed my mind this name is amazing and timeless! I don't like the nickname "Willy" though.

The only people that actually like this name are old white people and moms who hate their own children. The name is just super hillbilly, quit using it.

I don't like to put other names down but I much prefer William to just Liam. Not only does William have more nicknames to choose (including Liam), it also feels more complete.

"Willi" sounds so weird and unattractive.

It's certainly a good name to fall back on if you're struggling to find other boy names. Nothing bad about this name and it will always be in style.

He's some reasons why William is one of the best names:
1. William the Conquerer, the only man to have successfully taken over England
2. William Gates, successful billionaire who made the company "Microsoft"
3. William Harvey who discovered the function of the heart and the circulation of blood
4. William Shakespeare who was arguably the most famous writer in history
5. Prince William one of the most beloved royals in English history
6. William Thomson who developed the Kelvin temperature scale
7. William Wilberforce who spent his life fighting to end slavery
8. William James Adams or Will I am who is one of the most famous singers of all time
9. William Li who is one of the biggest and best fitness influencers of all time
10. William Smith is a famous American actor who worked on over 25 movies
11. Kiser Wilhelm who was one of Germany's best leaders ever
12. It's a good sounding name, not much else sounds like it
13. It's easy to pronounce
14. It works on any type of person
15. You can picture it on a young child and all the way up to a senior citizen
16. It has over 10 different nicknames/versions

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Now I could go on a while about why this is one of the best names ever, but I think this should be enough.

Cool name.

Totally a fan. It's one of the perfect examples of a timeless classic.

It's my name, and it is the best name ever. Parents should really go with this or other good names like Christof, Sabastian, Lucas, Matthew, Evan, George, Riley, Jack, Jesse, Ian, Jamie, Louie, Omar, Usith, Duad, Mohammed, samule, Joseph, Marcus and other good names instead of horrible names like Joe, Thomas, Erick etc.

None of those names you mentioned in your first comment were horrible, all of those are nice names. Thomas is one of my favorites. Anyways, William is a great name.

This is a classic example of a timeless name that somehow never goes out of style. Love the banner!

Possibly one of, if not the most timeless name of all time, there’s not a single year & century where this name would look weird on someone born in it.

Suuuuuuper sexy would date.

William, John, James, George, Timothy, Thomas, Henry, Daniel, David… parents please go with names like these or similar classics.

This name is very hot.

William is a great timeless name. It will never go out of style!

Boring and uninteresting. I like the meaning though!

It's such a manly name. It's good for both a toddler and an old man. I personally love the nicknames Will and Liam. In my head a person with the name William is a kind hearted, smart and a warm man with brown hair and blue icy eyes. I love the meaning too. Everything about this name is perfect ♡.

It's such a evil name. Every character in movies, cartoons and games that have this name is Evil.
Like William Afton who was a child murderer. And the silly nicknames Billy and Bill are making this name more ridiculous. Even kids with this name are evil and spoiled.

I disagree that all people named William are evil. That makes no sense at all, because your name does not define you as a person.

I love this name, but it can be a hassle dealing with all the nicknames.

A splendid name. Sounds like the name of someone strong-willed and kind.

A little boring.

It's alright but it's such a strong and handsome name.

This is my name, and it’s pretty cool. I prefer to be addressed by Will, though. This is nice for when it’s formal; but I prefer to be addressed as Will in normal life. If you want to name your child this name regardless, go ahead. Nobody is stopping you. ;)

I like this name. My brother has this name and it just sounds tough to me. Chill name.

Never understood why people call me 'Wills' where is the 's' in William? Got no issue with my name other than people calling me 'Wills' or god forbid - 'Willie'
I know a lot of people called 'Bill' (same kinda thing, I don't understand where the B comes from in William) and know a lot of Liams
but yeah it's got a lot of history and ties with royalty which is cool. Gotta be honest though my personality doesn't match my name at all! But hey - thanks mum and dad for making me sound classy xD.

Love this name, even though it's like, one of the most common names ever. If somebody asked you to say what immediately comes to mind when you think of a boy's name, you would probably say William. Besides all that, this name is great! Good for all ages.

I like the flow of William Donovan.

A bit outdated, but also a strong royal name with a rich history. Although if my name was William, I'd use Will, not Bill as a nickname. Bill as a nickname is so lame and old-fashioned. Will is way cooler.

In my opinion, William is a good, strong solid name. It is a timelessly beloved classic, deeply abundant in history and borne by kings, rulers, saints and conquerors. Its wonderful meaning: “helmet of protection” only adds to its excellence. Nickname potentials are more than plentiful, such as Bill, Billy, Will, Willie and Liam (to name a few), which is nice, and it easily “suits” a person of any age, whether it's a newborn baby, toddler, preteen, teenager, young adult, middle-aged adult or senior adult. Also, it's undeniably impressive that the name has never fallen out of the top 20 names for boys in the US since the 1880's. It proves its incredible fame and popularity, yes, but it also goes to show that it has truly withstood the test of time, making it an easily admirable name.
Overall, I think William is a delightful name, graced with strength, class and elegance.

William is an awesome name to have!

I named my daughter this name and I really think it suits her well. We call her "Willi" in the family.

Very handsome.

I think it's a beautiful name for a man. It's full of history.

I LOVE the name William! It is a classic and cool name that fits men of all ages! I know around 8 boys called William in my school and 1 (one) in my learning center. Co-founder of Tokopedia (an online shopping app in my country) has this as his first name too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tanuwijaya. Haha, I haven't heard of William being used here until found out that I have a friend with this name!

Handsome and strong! However, I DESPISE Willy as a nickname!

Hey people! I just thought I should take the time to comment on my own name. Even though I already have. I have always LOVED my name, and I hope you do as well. Personally, I prefer people to address me as Will. It's always been my nickname, and I think it sounds cool. Like the other user, my people usually always call me William when I'm in trouble (hehe... ;) The other nicknames I hate, especially Liam. Also, Bill? I know many Williams who go by Bill, but where does Bill derive from William? I hate it. I pronounce William as "Will-yum", and I hate when people stress the second "I" and pronounce it "EEE". "Will-E-um"...I hate that.

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If you love this name, totally use it! I don't think it's been overused at all. I love meeting people with my name, it's always so fun. It was number 1 for my birth year, but I still love it. William is a classic, great choice. Nice on all ages, and good in both formal and informal settings. It's fun being a William.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think this name is super overrated?

Great name! Never gets old!

I have a grandfather named William and a cousin as well. One interesting and unique aspect about this moniker is on the timelessness of it. Trends might come and go, but some forenames remain for a reason.

LoL! Omg! This name reminds me of William Tell and the story of the apple, an arrow and his son! Lol.

My name is William and growing up most people called me Bill or Wills and rarely William. Unless I got into trouble with my parents, then it was a different matter entirely. ;)

I have an older brother named William and he is certainly a great guy that has always supported me and my mom when our dad left us. As for all that toxic and negative feedback, I couldn’t care less, but do enjoy the support from other kinder comments on here. :)

Even though I am not too keen on this particular name, I can at least understand the reason behind its popularity.

This name is so tiresome. I wish this name would retire for good!

I have negative associations, love the nickname Bill though. I overall prefer Wilfred.

Like every name on this site, it is associated with old men, however, it is a very good masculine name. It does not suit a wheelbarrow, though.

Boring! I do like the nickname Will.

Probably one of the best male names. Classic and beautiful! Looks strong, sounds strong, just amazing!

Lovely name, guys called William are weird though, Will is nicer.

I don’t like it but I don’t dislike it either. It’s a classic.

I love this name! It is so cute and handsome and it fits a boy of any age! I would for sure recommend this name!

My name, I absolutely HATE IT. Better on other people, not me.

This is my name, and I think it's okay. It's common where I'm from, and it's common where I live.

Strong timeless name - 8.5/10.

Great name! Very flexible with age I can imagine William as a child, man, and elder! Lots of nicknames to choose from, gives the kid some choice in what they want to be called.

The name William is very common in my dad's side of my family, but this is in a good way. My late grandad was called William (after his own grandad), and four years after he died, my parents had a baby boy who they named after him. So it's a special name in my family, and because of that a favourite boy's name of mine. There are also lots of important people in English history who are called William, such as William Shakespeare and, although he comes from France, William the Conqueror. I don't get why people see this name as snooty or overused; it really is a nice name.

Very nice name.

William is as masculine as you can get - It can suit any age from a toddler through to a teenager, adult and old man, and despite stereotypes it can suit anyone from any social background.

Strong and classic - I like the nickname Billy personally so I would use that if I have a William in the future.

My name is Wiluś, not William. I like this name a lot and I get why it's popular.
I can't believe someone named their daughter William, especially since this is a very common male name used for centuries.

I like this one a lot, although I probably won’t be using it. I like the nickname Bill (you can find out why by reading my comment on that page). Also it just occurred to me that the nickname Will could be interpreted as a verb, as in “by force of will”. I think that’s a positive association!

While it's not my favorite name ever, I do love that you have a lot of options for diminutives. You can be Will, Bill, Willie, Billy, Liam, etc. It's best to give your child that option, right?

William is one of the strongest names a man can have, I also like the nicknames Will and Billy so you have a good choice of diminutives. Great name.

Hate this name but the nickname Will is nice. To me William is snobbish and prissy. It's the name of some creeps in my family.

Too common, I don't like it :(

Very nice name.

One of if not the strongest and one of the most classic names around, adorned by Kings, Conquerors and great men over hundreds of years (including my Grandfather Big Billy) and is still popular today, especially in the SOUTHERN US and ENGLAND, in which many of those strong characters have been from of course. This name also comes with nicknames Billy and Will, Both of which I don't mind. Would definitely consider using it for a future son PS Respect to the South from England, one thing we will have in common to this day is love for the name William.

Great name.

Strong, classic name that will suit a male at any stage in life.

Wow! So darn hot! I have to name my kid this!

William - Strong, timeless, hero.

Just the other day, I met a lady who told me she had just named her daughter this. Words cannot express my disappointment. Please don't do that to your daughter. I can understand Willie, but why William? This is clearly a classic male name. Some masculine names can sound feminine, I see that. However, not this one.

I think William is a rather common name. I have a good friend named William from acting (his mom is the director) so she named him after William Shakespeare.

I personally love the name because I was named after my father. I am William Barrow. I have been growing up with names like "wheel barrow" (according to my name...), I used to feel hurt by it but not anymore, heck, I even used it for my username! As a person I am very shy but when I get to know you, we're friends for life. The name seems overly used but if you truly love a name, then go for it. The name means "resolute protector" even though that's great, meanings don't matter. The name is a classic, great choice.

Gosh golly do I love this name. To me, Wills are always hot and good.

LOVE Will for a nickname. Other possible nicknames include Liam and Bill/Billy. Very versatile.

To anyone who says that William is "pretentious", I completely fail to see how a name as common as William, a name borne by millions of men from all walks of life for centuries, can be "pretentious." It must be that these people think that any classic name that isn't a made-up neologism is "pretentious." SAD.

My father's and brother's name. Loathe it. To me it is ancient, smug, pretentious, foul, snobby and just plain ugly.

I think William is a great name. It sounds handsome and regal. I don't like all the nicknames, like Bill, Billy, or Willy, but I quite like Liam, and Will isn't a bad name either. A name like William will never go out of style.

I like William, he is cool.

I like the name even though my brother is annoying. I like the name and will name my child that if I liked it enough and I do know many Will's but I like to tease him and call him Billiam.

I love the name William. It has class and a long history behind it. It puts me in mind of knights and kings, of old England and Scotland. I have a lot of ancestors with the name. As a child I loved the flower Sweet-William, in the dianthus family. It's a velvety, richly saturated flower, heavily perfumed like carnation spice. I especially like that William is a real name and not some fly-by-night trendy assemblage made up to be 'yoo'neeque'. William is sure to age well. There are the nicknames, Bill, Will (my fave) and (if you must be trendy) Liam (which is a real name too). If I'd have had a boy, I'd have named him William Clark (Last Name). This name has good bones. Plus, I just like how it sounds.

How do you get Bill from William?

William means resolute protector and is an awesome name, and I got that name too.

Sounds pretentious, and kinda a bit boring.

I like William. The nicknames for it are good and it reminds me of a kindhearted person :)
I hope to see this name increasing in popularity.

William is, of course, extremely common, and has been for literally centuries, but it is a good name. There are a lot of possible nicknames, too: Bill, Will, Billy, Liam, etc., so there's a bit of individuality there.

This is a great name for a streaker.

I personally think this name is outdated. It has many nicknames, none of which I like (Will, Willy, Liam, Bill, Billy, etc). I wouldn't use this name for my son.

This name is overused and plain especially with the nickname Billy or Liam. It is also rather timeless, but do you really want your child to be one or six William's in his kindergarten class? At least it's not Liam.

Yes, William is high in rank, but its percentage of use is the lowest is has ever been, and much, much lower than it was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A William born today is NOT going to be "one of six Williams in his class". My son William was born in 1986 and he was not one of six Williams in his class. As he was growing up, I encountered only one other William of his age, and later I met another William about my son's age, and that's it. There is a difference between rank and percentage. By rank, William has not fallen, but by percentage, it has fallen dramatically.

William, to me, is a timeless name. One of my absolute favorites, and I adore the nickname Will for it.

I personally like this name. Because not only is it classy, but it fits me really well in my opinion. And I like how my father based my full name on his middle name and his Grandfather's name and my cousin's first name. It's really sweet of him. Its characteristics describe me fairly. Not fully, but fairly.

I have a best friend named William. He's what you'd think a William is: strong, athletic, and funny. Great name overall.

This is a family name to me and I love it. It's a classic, timeless name and I like Will as a nickname. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with the name William. Just great.

William is one of those awesome names that's really old, yet never seems to age. I can imagine it on men of all ages, all throughout history.

William just makes me think "weak" when I hear it, I guess that's from watching Horrid Henry as a child. There was a kid on there called Weepy or Wimpy William that was always crying. But apart from that I think it sounds like a nice strong name and would consider it when naming something. The nickname Will sounds nice, not sure about Willie though.

This has got to be one of the best boys names out there, sounds so smart and sophisticated!

Not my favorite name by a long shot; in fact, I think this may be my least favorite "timeless classic" name, simply because it bores me so much more than the others do. Strangely enough, I actually love the nickname Will, because it makes me think of someone with a strong will. So, while I admit I heavily dislike William, I wouldn't have a problem with it if you decided to name your son William and call him Will, ha ha.

I love this name, such a classic.

One of my favourite names. The media says it's outdated but to me it's a timeless classic even though it's old fashoined.

William is truly a timeless name. No wonder it's been so popular throughout the decades.

I like the name William, I don't think it's overused. It's common but it's no Bob, Tom or John. I also like how there are a lot of nickname options for it such as Bill, Will and Liam, which is my favourite. My grandfather's name is William and I think it suits him very well. It will never go out of style, a true classic.

William is my favourite name for a boy, it's strong, masculine, easy to spell and pronounce and it sounds classy and sophisticated and looks cute on a baby and a little kid, but mature on a grown man. I love this name!

William is a great name and definitely not overused anymore, but it's still quite a popular boys name.

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Bearing in mind Prince William will eventually become king and that will make the name even more common than it is now.

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I personally love the name William which means resolute and protector.

I can't stand this name. Boring and overused.

Even though it has been incredibly overused for a while now. I can't help but kind of like this name.

William the great, prince William. It's very regal. And can be shortened to many other good names, Bill, Will, Billy for a girl. I like it. Very old fashioned and a lot of thought goes into that name or it is passed down from father to son and so on.

I always think of people who are self-assured, pretentious, and have a false sense of entitlement when I hear or read this name. An easy winner for those who are scared of being different, similar to the surname 'King'.

I used to not think much of this name until I watched a Youtube friend play a computer game where it was later revealed that this William was actually the antagonist. Since then, I would always get excited whenever I see this name in general, thus becoming one of my most favorite male names. I don't mind about any of the shortened versions because it reminds me of William, but I much prefer the full name. Whenever I feel like getting married in the future, I sure hope to find a spouse who bears this name; even if they go by any of the shorter variants, I'm still going to call them William. :)

Classic name but boring and overused.

William is such a nice, handsome, masculine name. It ages well and has so many good nickname options: Will, Bill, Billy, Liam... I wouldn't call a William "Willy/Willie", though, for an obvious, organ-related reason.

This is a marvelous, charming, handsome, strong, fine, classy and respectable name. I like the nicknames "Wim" and "Will"! =)

Best male name ever.

I don't like this name. It reminds me of a handsome but egotistical young British guy. The nicknames are all awful too.

A good, classic boys name. Far superior to the other crap that being given to kids these days.

This name will never fade away, its so lovely.
It has a nice sound and its very masculine.
Its mature and yet has a young feel to it!
I love this name.

This is my top pick for when I have a son. This name is absolutely timeless and I've never had any bad experiences with it. I know one William who goes by 'Liam' and while I love that name, too, my William will be William. No nicknames. Why shorten such a nice name?

This is my top pick for when I have a son. This name is absolutely timeless and I've never had any bad experiences with it. I know one William who goes by 'Liam' and while I love that name, too, my William will be William. No nicknames. Why shorten such a nice name?

I don't particularly like the name, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it either. Will and Liam are nice nicknames and even Willie doesn't sound too bad. I however cannot stand Billy and Bill. Those nicknames seem to be less common now, though. Most younger Williams go by Will.

I love the name William! I like the nicknames Will and Billy, but I hate Bill. It reminds me of an old man. It'd be way better if people named their kids William and called them Liam than using it as a full name, it just sounds kind of childish and trendy to me. But I'm glad to see William is #3!

This is my favorite male name. It is my brother's, father's, and grandfather's name. I think it's a very strong, classic name. My brother goes by Liam and my grandpa went by Billy. I also love Will as a nickname for William. William has a good history and is associated with a lot of strong characters. I think Francis and Patrick are good middle names for William.

An overused and boring name.

Don't use the name because pretty soon prince William is going to be king and a lot of people are going to use this name and it's going to be popular.

William is a dumb, overused white person name. It has too many annoying bearers, such as stupid actor William Zabka and snobbish royal Prince William.

Popular boys name, but still one of my favourites.

I adore this name. It's strong, timeless and has a good set of nicknames (Will, Bill, Billy and Liam), and definitely one I'd consider for a future son. The only problem with the name would be "willy" jokes, but that can easily be avoided if he goes by Bill or Liam.

I really just don't care for the sound of this name... I mean, I see why it's so popular as it is a classic and seems strong. And I like mostly strong classic names for boys, William is almost the only exception that I can think of.

I never liked the name William for reasons unknown to me until I met a very very nice middle aged man named this who actually went by William and not one of it's many nicknames. It's grown on me since, but ONLY the full version. None of the nicknames sound appealing to me. Will is a word, Willy synonym for penis and I've just met to many not so friendly Bill and Billys. There's always Liam, I suppose. But that's another name I just never liked.

I seem to be the only one that doesn't care for this name. Nothing wrong with it, I just can't put my finger on what I don't like about it. It's a nice, strong name that will age well though and has many nickname options. My favorite nickname for William is "Liam".

It's a nice, classic name, but it's not very pleasant sounding. It sounds so soft and chess-club-type. Not to mention the popularity.

I love William - it's a classic name but I hate all of the nicknames! So much so that it would put me off using the name.

We're naming our son William after his dad and grandpa. I've liked William since before hubby, so it's awesome. We'll call him Liam though. Unless, of course, he's in trouble.

My baby's name is Andrew William. I was thinking of giving him the first name William, but he didn't look like a William when I first saw him. He still doesn't. It's a handsome name though. I especially like the nickname Will.

I love this name, but I don't like the nicknames Bill or Billy. I like the nicknames Will and Liam, though.

I have a friend named William and he NEVER goes by "Bill" or any other nickname. I call him Will on occasion. He is so hilarious and has the biggest smile on his face! :) It's a very classy name and it was my paternal Grandfather's name.

This is my father's name. Everyone calls him 'Wid.' It's not as bad as Will, Billy, Bill, etc. but William is still WAY overused and oldfashioned, too much for my liking.

William is a solid name, and happens to be stringed throughout my genealogy. I'm not sure which ancestor I got it from, but I'm glad I have it.

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If "Wil" means "will or desire" and "helm" means "helmet or protection," it could be taken to mean "desired protection" or "willing protector." Helm is interesting, because one of the most important things to protect is the head and more importantly the mind.

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When I think of my name, William, it means to me the will and desire to protect not only others, but also myself by keeping my thoughts, words, and actions in line with my religious beliefs in Jesus Christ.

This is one of the few "long" names that I like both as it is and as a nickname-- "Will".

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Most long names I like as is but not the nicknames for them. I might use this name someday.

I understand why William never falls out of style. Personally, I like it for the great literary connotations.

A good, strong, wholesome name for a little boy.

Number 11 for boys in 2005. I love this name, and I also like the nickname Will.

Love the name - a very stong, proud (in the good sense) name. Always sounds classic.

Dreadfully boring and overused! Bah! This must be the name of hundreds of thousands of men who were unwanted children. Parents either pick this name in honor of a relative or a famous person, which can be one way of getting it over with as fast as possible, or because they don't feel like wasting time thinking about the name of that little creature that they feel is only a burden anyway. Fair enough, this is not a bad name at all. It's just that it's not exactly an imaginative choice. There are already far too many Bills, Billys, Wills, etc. Many of these people are obnoxious. Think Bill Donoghue. He's utterly obnoxious. So is Bill Bryson. Come to think of it, I can't think of a William I like.

Your comment was offensive and ridiculous. It's fine to say that William is boring, which is an opinion, and overused, which is a fact. But to go on from there and say that any baby named William is unwanted? It's ridiculous and insulting. Some people want to honor relatives, some people aren't into names, some people think a common name is best, and some people just like the name William. This doesn't mean their sons weren't wanted. My son is named William after his father, and he was very much a wanted child, thank you very much.

A true classic name, I couldn't help but name my son this.

I was more or less forced to name my son William because my husband had his heart set on naming his son William IV. (He was William III.) It wasn't what I would have chosen on my own. I felt that it had been way too common for so many centuries but I did think that it had fallen out of style in recent years. So I'm surprised to see by the popularity chart that it has never been out of the top twenty! I am happy to see all the positive comments about it on this site and I have to say that I do agree with them now. The name has grown on me over the past twenty-one years (the age my son is now.) Our William goes by Will. He likes his name and I can't imagine him having any other now.

I think this name is very nice and strong. I really like the nicknames Will or Willy/Willie for William. However, I don't like the nicknames Bill or Billy. No wonder it has been so popular throughout the years.

My husband is called William and it was my favorite man's name before I met him. If we have a son we'd also call him William. He gets called Will a lot though. One of his friends calls him Bill which I think is horrid!

I really like this name. It seems like one of those names that will never go out of style. I think William and Alexander would make a good sibset. I never liked the nickname Billy before (just Will or Liam), but I recently met a boy whose name was shortened to Billy, and since then I've liked it a lot, since he is quite an intriguing character. It's also very fun to say "William Turner!". :)

I really like this name, it's strong, masculine and a timeless classic.

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I have an Uncle called William though he prefers to be called Bill. I also have a 6 year old cousin called William who is very loud and full of energy and his name suits him prefectly.

This is my uncle's name and my great-grandfather's name. I really like this name; it's very strong and masculine and I like the short form Will. It reminds me of a handsome man with black hair and ice-blue eyes!

Emeraldstar, that's funny! Both my dad and grandpa had black hair and ice blue eyes and are - or in grandpa Bill's case, were - named William. It's my little brother's name, too, but he had brown eyes like Mom.

William is a great name for a boy. A true classic. I don't like most of the nicknames for this name, I would either keep it as William or Will or maybe Liam but that's it.

Classic name that will never burn out. It is smart and fun. I prefer Will over Bill as a nickname. Good name!

My dad's name is William but goes by Bill. I prefer the nickname Will for this name. I don't particulary like any of the other nicknames for it.

I don't really have an opinion about this name, but I think it is too grown-up sounding for a baby! I prefer the nickname Will to Bill, but Billy to Willy. A family I know with lots of Williams on both the maternal and paternal sides got the suggestion to nickname their baby Liam, which I thought was a good idea.

Thankfully, a person is a baby for very little of his actual life! I wish more people would remember that when giving their children names.

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I like the nicknames Will and Liam, but not Bill, Billy, or Willie. I also love William by itself.

William is a good name for an old man, whereas Billy sounds more like a little boy.

Well, William is a family name on my mother's side in each generation at least twice for the past 100 years or so. It is my brother's middle name along with my cousin, uncle and gradfather. My mother's name is Wiliamson so The traditionally family name is William Bryant Wiliamson, as the oldest of my mother's children it has carried to me to name my future son William. I think it is a good name but a little overused, and I don't like the nickname Billy, Bill or Will.

I have a son named Justin William and I think it is a very strong name. He is also very nice looking. Both the names are beautiful.

As bearer of this name I have looked up its meaning on a number of different occasions. The most common definition I have found is "protector" which really appeals to me. I am the eldest child of three, and I have always found it to be my duty to protect my younger brother and sister. I am also very protective of other family members and close friends. I've always wondered if my name has had some sort of affect upon my character, or if my personality just happened to coincide with the name's meaning.

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As a bit of a side note, Brad Pitt’s first name is actually William. I don’t really know what that has to do with anything, but I thought that was kind of neat.

Such a great name, it will never go out of style. It has a very strong and respectable connotation, I always think of Prince William!

I think William is a great name. It's simple and dignified. It was also the name of my late maternal grandfather. He was a great guy, and I've decided to name my first son after him.

My Father's name was William and it is a very strong masculine name. Very dignified. I think it is a great name.

I knew a man named William, and he said that the name meant "Great Protector", and I think that is a worthwhile goal to live up to! When I think of the name William, I think of someone strong, yet tender and kind. A man with honor, integrity, and valor!

I love this name. It reminds me of a strong, good-willed person, though it sounds kind of fancy. But it's still one of my favorite names.

What a great name, it will never get old.