Prince Arthur?!

Whats the story behind Prince Williams name? Here's a look at its meaning, origin, and who picked it for him. Some of this is from the book The New American Dictionary of Baby Names, Penguin Books 1985.

William-
William's name was just the begining of many battles Diana would have with her in-laws over her two sons. Before William was born Charles decided to name his son Arthur, but Diana wanted William. In the end Diana won and their son was named William Arthur Philip Louis. " William is old German for 'will-helmet.' Introduced to the British by the Normans, in particular by William the Conqueror himself. From the 16th century William gave way only to John in the popularity tables. In Britian parents began to turn away from the name by the begining of the 20th centuryand it began to decline steadily. This happened some twenty years later in U.S. Its hadreached a very low point in Britian by 1970, but by the early 1980s there were signs of a partial recovery. In 1982 Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales named their son William. This is likely to cause many more British parents to make use of the name during the 1980s. "

Arthur-
The name Charles originally wanted for his fist sons name. "Of uncertain origin: posibly Celtic artos 'bear.' Since the first Arthur mentioned in the records is Irish, the origin may be Irish art, stone. One of the most used first names in the English speaking world until the 1920s, but though still in regular use, now a minor name."

Philip-
Philip was given to Williams name after his grandfather, Prince Philip. "Greek Philippos 'fond of horses.' Biblical, N.T. Matt. 10:3, the name of one of the Apostles. In common use amongst the early Christians. Its use in medieval times is reflected in the commonness of surnames such as Philips, Philips, Phipps, etc. From the 16th century onwards one of the more densely used male names in Britian, but faded into the background to some extent throughout the 19th c."'

Louis-
A name that comes from Williams side of the family.... "French form of an Old German name Hlutwig 'famous in battle.' Modern German, Ludwig. Borne by the Frankish kings who ruled over kingdoms in Gaul and Germany from AD 500. Became extremely popular in the U.S. by the 1870s, and remained one of the top thirty names until the late 1920s. Subsequently faded."

Windsor-
A famous last name of British royal families.... "Common English place name, originally indicating a 'riverbank with a winch', used to pull boats from the water. The name took on especial significance when King George V made it the surname of the British royal family during World War One."

[Index] [Information] [Wills Words] [Eton] [Lives] [Public Duties] [Books] [Articles] [Contacts] [Photographs] [Updates] [Links]
© 1997, 1998, 1999, The Wills Center 1