Wiliam
Barely 62 men in Poland carry this one-L spelling of William, so meeting one would stick with you. Germanic at root, built from will and helmet: a "resolute protector".
Wiliam Pronunciation
Wiliam is pronounced VEEL-yahm (/ˈviljam/).
What Wiliam means
Where Wiliam comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Wiliam grows from two old Germanic words. Wil meant will, or firm resolve. Helm meant helmet, the guard a fighter wore into battle. Together they name a resolute protector, in Polish a zdecydowany obrońca.
The form we know spread through English hands. William the Conqueror crossed the Channel in 1066, took the English crown, and made the name common across the counties he ruled. Centuries later an English playwright signed his work William Shakespeare. The name traveled from a battlefield word to a poet's title page.
Polish keeps the spelling Wiliam, one L, close to the English sound. A teacher reading a class register meets it now and then, filed between Wiktor and Wojciech. The old sense holds under the modern shape: wil and helm, will and helmet.
How many people are named Wiliam
1 in 344293 men in Poland is named Wiliam. 62 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #4682 among male names.
Wiliam's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 boys were given the name in 2025. It has been stable for a decade.
Wiliam as a middle name
Wiliam is a first name for 62 men in Poland and a middle name for another 50, a 55/45 split, almost evenly. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 1070th, between Wendelin (50) and Adi (49).
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#1068 Taylor50
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#1069 Wendelin50
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#1070 Wiliam50
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#1071 Adi49
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#1072 Ege49