Christian Pure

William Is Not in the Bible — It Is Germanic for “Will” and “Helmet”

Christian Pure Team

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Summary

  • William is not in the Bible in any form. It is Germanic, from willo, “will, desire,” and helm, “helmet, protection.”
  • It spread in England after William the Conqueror and has long been one of the most common English names. Liam began as its Irish short form.
  • Scripture speaks of the helmet of salvation (Isaiah 59:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Ephesians 6:17), and Jesus prays “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
  • Christians of the name include William of Gellone, William Tyndale, William Wilberforce and William Booth.

William is not in the Bible. It is a Germanic name, Willehelm, made of willo, “will, desire,” and helm, “helmet, protection,” and it spread in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Its forms in other languages, such as Guillermo in Spanish, Guillaume in French and Guilherme in Portuguese, are not in the Bible either. What does William mean? William means “will helmet,” often rendered “resolute protector.” The name was common among the Normans, and after William the Conqueror became…

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Bibliography (Click to show)

Sources: Behind the Name entries for William and Liam; Wikipedia, “William Tyndale,” “William Wilberforce” and “William Booth”; Scripture quotations from the NIV via BibleGateway (Isaiah 59:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Ephesians 6:17; Luke 22:42).

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