Williams Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Williams Name Meaning: Was first recorded in medieval England. It is derived from the French name Guillemin (William) and is made up of Germanic meanings; will - desire; helm - protection.

First recorded in Oxfordshire in 1279.

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Buckinghamshire 323
Brecknockshire 5,180
Carnarvonshire 12,498
Cambridgeshire 223
Cardiganshire 3,381
Channel Islands 164
Cheshire 2,666
Carmarthenshire 6,863
Cornwall 7,359
Cumberland 94
Derbyshire 461
Denbighshire 5,930
Devon 3,182
Dorset 614
Durham 179
Essex 438
Flintshire 5,046
Glamorgan 7,295
Gloucestershire 5,263
Hampshire 1,189
Herefordshire 3,241
Hertfordshire 275
Hunts and Rutland 82
Isle of Man 34
Kent 1,409
Lancashire 7,246
Leicestershire 287
Lincolnshire 375
London 9,205
Middlesex 411
Merionethshire 3,568
Montgomeryshire 3,098
Monmouthshire 8,451
Northumberland 123
Norfolk 458
Northamptonshire 494
Nottinghamshire 185
Oxfordshire 793
Pembrokeshire 3,723
Radnorshire 1,044
Shropshire 4,317
Suffolk 305
Somerset 2,304
Surrey 446
Sussex 545
Staffordshire 2,728
Warwickshire 1,477
Westmorland 34
Wiltshire 895
Worcestershire 1,803
Yorkshire 729
Anglesey 0
Bedfordshire 0
Berkshire 0

Williams Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Williams family

Profession Census Frequency
Female Servant 7,276
Agricultural Labourer 6,958
Farmer 3,675
Independent 3,472
Labourer 2,986
Male Servant 2,648
Shoe Maker 1,075
Collier 989
Miner 934
Carpenter 741
Tailor 681
Mason 592
Pauper 550
Dress Maker 428
Joiner 411
Blacksmith 373
Mariner 332
Servant 318
Smith 307
Quarry Man 303
Publican 281
Copper Miner 275
Gardener 268
Butcher 265
Weaver 265

Most Frequent Forenames for Williams

Name Census Frequency
Mary Williams 120,221
John Williams 116,832
William Williams 107,408
Elizabeth Williams 79,262
Thomas Williams 74,627
Jane Williams 45,851
Sarah Williams 45,443
Margaret Williams 45,293
Ann Williams 41,762
David Williams 37,723
George Williams 31,962
James Williams 31,688
Robert Williams 28,042
Richard Williams 25,632
Edward Williams 24,977
Henry Williams 23,757
Catherine Williams 23,589
Ellen Williams 22,487
Charles Williams 19,679
Annie Williams 18,130
Joseph Williams 17,436
Eliza Williams 16,577
Hannah Williams 15,649
Anne Williams 15,553
Alice Williams 12,803

Williams Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Williams 100% 1,611,436
2 Willams 88% 1,943
3 Wiliams 88% 1,314
4 Willimas 75% 1,246
5 Woollams 63% 946
6 Willaims 75% 635
7 Willims 88% 435
8 Williames 89% 303
9 Woolliams 78% 196
10 Wiilliams 89% 136
11 Wlliams 88% 121
12 Welliams 88% 107

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The surname Williams is the most popular version of all its varients

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