Guillaume (English)
Where does "Guillaume" come from?
The name Guillaume is the French version of the English name William, originating from the Proto-Germanic compound 'Wiljahelmaz'. This ancient name combined roots meaning 'will' or 'desire' with 'helmet,' literally translating to 'will-helmet' or 'resolute protector.' It evolved through Frankish and Old French before being adopted into English, sharing a common ancestor with names like Wilhelm and Guillermo.
Full etymology tree
- Guillaume (English), 'A male given name from French.'
- borrowed Guillaume (French), 'a male given name, equivalent to English William, whose diminutive is Guy'
- inherited Guillaume (Middle French)
- inherited Guillaume (Old French), 'a male given name, variant of Willame'
- borrowed *Willahelm (Frankish)
- compound *wiljô (Proto-Germanic), 'will, wish, desire'
- derived *wiljaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to want'
- derived *wḗlh₁-ti (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *welh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to choose'
- derived *wḗlh₁-ti (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *wiljaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to want'
- compound *helmaz (Proto-Germanic), 'helmet'
- inherited *ḱelmos (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *ḱel- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to cover'
- inherited *ḱelmos (Proto-Indo-European)
- compound *wiljô (Proto-Germanic), 'will, wish, desire'
- borrowed *Willahelm (Frankish)
- inherited Guillaume (Old French), 'a male given name, variant of Willame'
- inherited Guillaume (Middle French)
- borrowed Guillaume (French), 'a male given name, equivalent to English William, whose diminutive is Guy'
Direct ancestors
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris