Table of contents
Boy name origins & meanings
- Teutonic : Valiant protector
Boy name variations
How Popular Is The Name Williams
Family name origins & meanings
- English (also very common in Wales) : patronymic from William.
- This very common surname was brought to North America from southern England and Wales independently by many different bearers from the 17th century onward. It has also absorbed some continental European cognates such as Dutch <xref>Willems</xref>. Roger Williams, born in London in 1603, came to MA in 1630, but the clergyman was banished from the colony for his criticism of the Puritan government; he fled to RI and founded Providence.