Williams (surname)

This article is about the surname. For people with the surname, see List of people with surname Williams.

Williams

Pronunciation	/ˈwɪljəmz/
Origin
Meaning	"William's son"
Frequency Comparisons [1]

Williams is a surname of English origin derived from the personal name William and the genitive ending -s. ^[2] It is also common in Wales, where it represents an anglicization of the Welsh patronymic ap Gwilym. ^[3]

Williams is the second most common surname in New Zealand, the third most common in Wales and the United States, and the fourth most common in Australia. ^{[1] [4]}

Earliest recorded usage

• Willam is from 1279 in Oxfordshire. ^[5]
• William is from 1299 in Whitby, Yorkshire. ^[6]
• Williames is from 1307 in Staffordshire. ^[7]

See also

• List of people with surname Williams
• Williams baronets
• Williams family of Caerhays and Burncoose
• Willyams

References

1. Williams given name at Forebears
2. Hanks, Patrick; Lenarčič, Simon; McClure, Peter, eds. (2022). "Williams". Dictionary of American Family Names (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780190245122.
3. Ffrancon, Rhys (26 December 2023). "Jones, Davies and Williams: What are the origins of Welsh surnames?" . Retrieved 19 February 2025.
4. United States Census Bureau (9 May 1995). s:1990 Census Name Files dist.all.last (1-100). Retrieved on 25 February 2008.
5. Reaney & Wilson p.493, sourced from the Rotuli Hundredorum 1812, 1818
6. Reaney & Wilson p.493
7. Reaney & Wilson p.493, sourced from the Staffordshire Assize Rolls

• PH Reaney & RM Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames:The Standard Guide to English Surnames, Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN   0-19-863146-4.