Where does “Williams” come from?
Williams (French) comes from English Williams, from English william, from Middle English William, from Anglo-Norman Willame, from Old High German Willahelm, from Old High German helm, from Proto-West Germanic helm, from Proto-Germanic helmaz — to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab.
Ancestry of “Williams”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Williams | — |
| 2 | English | william | — |
| 3 | Middle English | William | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | Willame | — |
| 5 | Old High German | Willahelm | William |
| 6 | Old High German | helm | helmet |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | helm | helmet |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | helmaz | helmet |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |