Skip to content

Origins of the William surname

About the Williams

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

Find out more about your family in our records

    or try an advanced search
    Start free trial
    “
    I’ve managed to trace back to the mid-1700s! 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 logoTrustpilot 5 stars
    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

    OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 139North West 185Isle of Man 14Yorkshire 313East Midlands 100West Midlands 245East 272London 1131South East 299South West 674South Wales 204Mid Wales 105West Wales 6North Wales 177Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

    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.

    13,000 William Travel & migration records
    73,000 Williams found in all Census records

    Interesting facts about William

    How common is your surname?

    327th most common surname in the UK

    We have for the William surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

    Who were Williams most likely to marry?

    Our tell us which families married Williams.

    What are the most common William first names?

    John

    Thomas

    Mary

    Elizabeth

    Our tell us the names of William family members
    Man with milk churns and census card collage
    Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

    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

    We found over 1,700,000 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

    Learn more about the lives of William family members

    How rare is your surname?

    Have you ever wondered if your family na...

    The rise and fall of these disappearing British surnames

    Could your surname be on the brink of di...

    English surnames explained: The seven types of last names you should know

    Ever wondered where our last names come...

    How to find the maiden names of women in your family tree

    Try these simple tricks to pinpoint your...

    4 simple steps to starting your family history journey

    Starting your family history journey is...

    Share your discoveries

    Share to WhatsApp

    Share to Facebook

    Look for a different surname