This famous and interesting surname, with a number of entries in the "Dictionary of National Biography" and over twenty-eight Coats of Arms, is a patronymic of William. William is derived the Norman form of an Old French personal name composed of the Germanic elements "wil", will, desire, and "helm", helmet, protection. The personal name was introduced into England at the time of the Conquest of 1066, and within a very short time it became the most...