Williams Family Crest, Coat of Arms & Williams Name Origin

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Origin of the Name Williams

The ancient history of the name Williams was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. Williams is a baptismal name meaning 'the son of William', from the root word meaning 'resolute protector'. Variants include William, Williamson and Wilyams. This name was introduced to England at the time of the Norman Conquest and within a short period of time became the most popular name in the country. It is of Anglo-Norman descent spreading to Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts in the above countries. Examples of such are a Hugo Williamson and a Johannes Willemi, who were recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379. A John Willelmi was an official of Brechin, Scotland. In Ireland this name is of immigrant origin, having been introduced from Wales, England and Scotland during the seventeenth century. The name MacWilliams is rendered as MacUilliam in Gaelic and is mostly found in Ulster.