Skip to content
  • Start your family tree

Origins of the William surname

A collage of historical images including two family portraits and a postcard of people boarding a ship

About the Williams

We have a total number of 86888 records for people with the last name William.

Find out more about your family in our records

or try an advanced search

“

I’ve managed to trace back to the mid-1500s! I can’t believe it! Utterly engrossing and I have uncovered some quite moving and heartbreaking stories attached to various ancestors. You don’t need any qualifications to start - just time patience, and some information.

SS
Stuart
TrustPilot review
1 of 3

Start your family tree

Trace your family back in time. Make new discoveries and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Williams.

Sign up to get started

Delve deeper into the William family's history

Where do most Williams live?

In 1921, most Williams lived in London.


Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

Interesting facts about Williams

How common is your surname?

327th most common surname in the UK

We have 73,000 records for the William surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

Who were Williams most likely to marry?

Our Marriage record sets tell us which families married Williams.

What are the most common William first names?

  • John
  • Thomas
  • Mary
  • Elizabeth

Our birth record sets tell us the names of William family members

Common jobs for Williams

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common Female occupations for Williams in 1921
House Servant

505

Dressmaker

401

Servant

289

General Servant

262

Domestic Servant

256

Common Male occupations for Williams in 1921
Coal Miner

604

Yeoman

508

Agricultural Labourer

456

Farmer

377

General Labourer

252

An image of a census transcript and a picture of a dairy farmer holding two milk jugs

Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

We found over 1,500,000 family trees with the William surname

Trace your family back in time and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Williams.

Search for a relative in our family trees

Share your discoveries

Start your family history journey

Start free trial

Start free trial