[Opinions] William
Do you like William or not? Do you think it's boring? What nickname do you like, or do you prefer no nickname at all?
Replies
I don't like it at all. I think it's really, really boring. I prefer Wilhelm.
I love it. I think it's so handsome and romantic. I prefer it with no nickname but I think Will is alright.
I like it =) I think Will is the best NN by far, boring or not.
I really like William it is a timeless classic name, the only nicknames I would use is Will or Bill, I like Liam but I wouldn't use it.
New Names PNL: http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/151224
New Names PNL: http://www.behindthename.com/pnl/151224
I love Will but William...eh, I never got the appeal. But I think I've been conditioned to see it as handsome and distinguished - just because I've heard it so much.
I like it. It's classless, ageless, people can spell and pronounce it: it's a comfortable name to have if you're from an English-speaking background, and if a friend or relative announced it as the name of a new baby I'd think it was a good choice, for all those reasons.
If I had a William I'd probably call him Bill after my great-uncle. Will is good too.
If I had a William I'd probably call him Bill after my great-uncle. Will is good too.
I don't know what I'd think of it if I'd come to it from a standing start. As it is, it's been a family name since eighteen-very-early and the last one, known as Billy and a veteran of Dunkirk and Monty's desert war, died about 20 years ago.
So I've always liked it, or assumed that I like it, and I'd willingly use it, given enough sons. Bill has strong associations for me and I abominate Liam, so my nn of choice would be Will, though certainly not Willie.
So I've always liked it, or assumed that I like it, and I'd willingly use it, given enough sons. Bill has strong associations for me and I abominate Liam, so my nn of choice would be Will, though certainly not Willie.
I would love William on a girl. I know everybody says it's such a classic masculine name, but it screams girl to me. Maybe Willia as a nickname?
lol
Just kidding. Maybe I'm in a weird mood, but I find William so terribly ordinary that I needed to make this more interesting for myself. Yup, I'm definitely in a weird mood.
So yep, boring. Handsome, still, but boring. I find Will very boring, Willy terrible and Liam lame-o. So I don't know, maybe no nickname at all.
lol
Just kidding. Maybe I'm in a weird mood, but I find William so terribly ordinary that I needed to make this more interesting for myself. Yup, I'm definitely in a weird mood.
So yep, boring. Handsome, still, but boring. I find Will very boring, Willy terrible and Liam lame-o. So I don't know, maybe no nickname at all.
I like it. It's classy and timeless and works on any age. I like that there are a large number of nicknames, so he can choose a different one when he's older, or if he knows lots of people with the same name (not unlikely). My favourite nickname is Will.
Willy is a definite no here as it is a common nickname which little boys use for their penis.
Willy is a definite no here as it is a common nickname which little boys use for their penis.
This message was edited 7/28/2016, 12:29 PM
I don't like it, but I don't hate it either. It's fine. Yes, I think it's boring. It's such a middle name, and the sound is so shapeless to me. I've known only one William who went by William, which made it remarkable, but a lot of people called him Will regardless. I've known many more who went by Bill. So Bill seems like a first name to me, and William seems like one of those too-formal names nobody really goes by. I don't really like Bill, either. I guess I prefer Will or Willie. Willie could be kind of cool in a way.
This message was edited 7/28/2016, 12:03 PM
I do. I love it, popularity be damned. I likely wouldn't choose it on my own as a fn but I would happily compromise on William if that's the direction my partner wanted to going in. I like without a nickname but I also like the nicknames Will and Liam and I quite like Billy for a young kid. If I could get my own way though, my William would go by Wilkie.
I think it's a boring first name. I prefer using Willem instead.
I don't really love the sound of it, but I admire its long history and widespread usage. It has that sturdy, unpretentious, "everyman" quality shared by many classic masculine names, and I like that. I just prefer similarly flavored names--like James and Thomas--more.
It's most appealing as William, but I Billy/Bill are my favorite nicknames at this point. Will/Willie is too predictable, and I prefer Liam as a standalone.
It's most appealing as William, but I Billy/Bill are my favorite nicknames at this point. Will/Willie is too predictable, and I prefer Liam as a standalone.
I really like William. It sounds smart and sophisticated, but sweet and innocent for a little boy. Well mannered, kind, intelligent, helpful, and caring all come to mind when I hear William (for some reason) and I love that! But it is a classic and thus eternally popular, so I don't think I'd ever use it. And I definitely prefer William in full. Will and Liam just don't have the same feel, and Liam in particular is very meh, in my opinion. The nickname options just don't do it for me.
I've loved it since I was a kid. I think it very handsome and warm. Very down to earth. It's not too simple, but it's uncomplicated. I can't use it though, sad face. I'd use Will as a nn. Swoon.
William is a mainstay that still manages to be a bit interesting. I like the combo William Alexander, though both are quite popular names.
As a nickname, I really only like Will. Liam feels like a separate name now, and Bill is... such a "dad" name, to me. Like Gary, or Ted.
As a nickname, I really only like Will. Liam feels like a separate name now, and Bill is... such a "dad" name, to me. Like Gary, or Ted.
My thoughts on William have evolved over the years. I've never thought it was boring, but I used to think it was too fancy. It was a middle school "boyfriend"'s name, though he went by Bill. At the time, I thought it was such an odd, grown up name for an 12-year-old.
Now, I find William to be a really good, true blue name. Despite its consistent popularity for hundreds of years in the English-speaking world, I still find William to be almost dark and mysterious. Bill would be my choice for a nickname and it would be refreshing to see among all the Liam's. Bill Weasley might have something to do with it to be honest. Will is fine too, but that one I might actually classify as "boring".
Now, I find William to be a really good, true blue name. Despite its consistent popularity for hundreds of years in the English-speaking world, I still find William to be almost dark and mysterious. Bill would be my choice for a nickname and it would be refreshing to see among all the Liam's. Bill Weasley might have something to do with it to be honest. Will is fine too, but that one I might actually classify as "boring".
I like it well enough, and Will as a nn is fine. Bill is good to, but for some reason you never see that on young guys, if they end up Bill later on they always start out as Billy.
One thing I really don't like about it is so many people around here pronounce it WEE-yum. That's enough to prevent me from ever wanting to use it.
One thing I really don't like about it is so many people around here pronounce it WEE-yum. That's enough to prevent me from ever wanting to use it.