Why nickname bill for william

As an Italian name it is a form of Charles. As a Spanish name it is a short form of Carlos. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Ben Davis May 28, Why is Bill Short Form for William? Is Bill a short name for William? What can Bill be short for? Why is John shortened to Jack?

What does Jack mean sexually? Does Jack mean John? Who is the most famous Jack? It is because it was shortened to Will originally, that it became 'Bill':. There were hundreds at the time but most have now died out. Many of the original names from which these nicknames were formed were Norman French names. William is the anglisied version of Guillumme, an old French name.

It appears that the changes were part of the English adapting them to their own language. There are many theories on why Bill became a nickname for William; the most obvious is that it was part of the Middle Ages trend of letter swapping. Much how Dick is a rhyming nickname for Rick, the same is true of Bill and Will. Because hard consonants are easier to pronounce than soft ones, some believe Will morphed into Bill for phonetic reasons. The name Henry dates back to medieval England.

Curiously, at that time, Hank was a diminutive for John. So how do we get Hank from Henry? Well, one theory says that Hendrick is the Dutch form of the English name Henry. Henk is the diminutive form of Hendrick, ergo, Hank from Henk. Hanks were hugely popular here in the States for many decades, though by the early 90s it no longer appeared in the top 1, names for baby boys. But Hank is making a comeback! In , it cracked the top 1,, settling at By it was up to The name Jack dates back to about 1, and was originally used as a generic name for peasants.

Over time, Jack worked his way into words such as lumberjack and steeplejack. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Thread starter asaisaio Start date Jul 16, For example, the dictionary says that "Bill" is the nickname of "William". I was wondering what it means? Does it mean only in unofficial or informal occasion can I call a person whose name is William "Bill"?

If in formal or official occasion, can't I call him "Bill"? When can I call him nickname? Miss Julie Senior Member Chicago metro area.