Hrh William Bowers

William: Meaning English: the most successful of all the Germanic names introduced to England by the Normans. It is composed of the elements wil will, desire + helm helmet, protection. The fact that it was borne by the Conqueror himself does not seem to have inhibited its favour with the “conquered” population: in the first century after the Conquest it was the commonest male name of all, not only among Normans. In the later Middle Ages it was overtaken by John, but continued to run second to that name until the 20th century, when the picture became more fragmented. It was a royal name not only in England, but also in Germany and the Netherlands. Cognates: Irish Gaelic: Liam. Scottish Gaelic: Uilleam. Welsh: Gwilym. French: Guillaume. Italian: Guglielmo. Spanish: Guilermo. Catalan: Guillem. Portuguese: Guilherme. German: Wilhelm. Low German, Dutch: Willem. Scandinavian: Vilhelm. Czech: Vilem. Hungarian: Vilmos. Finnish: Vilppu. Short forms: English: Will, Bill. German: Wim. Pet forms: