is your child called William?

[whatsmyname]

Slightly specialist topic here but calling all Mums who've called their children William.

We're thinking of naming our baby William if a boy. We like the diminutive Will. Not so keen on Bill since our surname begins with B but could, of course, put up with it if that's the way the child/his friends want it.

My question is: how many of your children get called Willy and is there a problem with teasing in the playground ? Ridiculous question I know but child has to navigate nearly two decades before people stop worrying about things like that IME.

LOl it's not a ridiculous question! Friends of ours have just called their DS William and they asked us exactly the same thing! we also thought about calling our DS William. This day and age, I'm sure he'll get called Will... I really wouldn't worry

Sure he would be called Will

Not got a william myself but do childmind one, he gets called wills most of the time. His mum is VERY clear he's not to be called willy!!
Hes only 16 mths so no playground problems yet
Tbh i don't think teasing will be aproblem, its a very popular name so hes unlikely to be the only one.

DH likes "william" for our baby, if it's a boy. I said no. Somehow it doesn't "sit" right with me, but i like "Will".

Also, when he suggested it, my first thought was "he'll get called Willie!" And our surname begins with a C so not sure it's a good idea!!!

Small boys do not need encouraging in the toilet humour department!!!

William is the male family name on my side of the family,

Papa got bill
brother got willy
uncle got billy

When I had twin boys I wanted 1 of them to have the name but decided on Liam instead, shortnend version too

I have a brother, William. Within the family he has always been called Willy - which was fine when he was three, but rather funny now he is 26 . However, he has never been called Willy outside the close family - just William or Will.

my dh is called Will
He was called Rodney at school something to do with cricketers I think

Actually his real first name is Richard though he is not and never has been know by it (some silly family tradition), however I have been known to call him Dick Willy if he is being partic annoying

Ds2 is William. He's only 3 so no-one's called him Willy as yet, not even ds1, who's 5.

FWIW he's either William or Bill, NEVER Will or (shudder) Wills as I can't bear those names. MIL keeps calling him Will but he won't answer as he knows that's not his name - ha!

We didn't call ds William because we already have 2 Bill's in the family. Dh's mother will not call him Bill. No one ever called him Willy apparently - but he does get accidentally called Billy

Friend's little one is called William and at the moment it isn't shortened at all.

I have taught quite a few Williams. Of those who had their name shortened, all were called Will.

dd called Willow and we call her Wo..not worried

one of my neighbours is called Willie - and he's a big ruffy toughy policeman and I don't think he gets any hassle

Yes ! Thats my DS like you we have banned Bill or Billy as our surname is also B. We often call him Will, which I like.

My DS is William, but gets called Will or Stumpy most of the time. I think it's such a popular name, that the Willie thing probably won't be a problem.

We're thinking of William too, but probably to be more Will. Never even thought of the whole Willy thing! That's why MN is so good there's always someone two steps ahead to help out.

I'll mention it to DH and see what he thinks but it hasn't put me off.

i have a friend William. he gets Liam for short.

Sorry not quite on topic but I know someone with two sons; Bill and William...

Thanks, ladies. Reassuring it is such a common name. Solidarity in numbers, I think. Only hurdle now is that dh is now getting cold feet all over again about the whole Willie thing. Also, ds is just getting to an age when he is asking me what he calls you know what. I don't want to put ideas into his head just before the baby is born . Not a problem for nuclear scientists, I know, but still a puzzle for me to know what to do. Anyway, may yet have a girl and won't need to worry .

Wait until he is six and he will be calling himself Willy at the top of his voice and sniggering horribly at bath-time if he is like mine. "I'm a willy, with a willy" (yawn).
No-one else calls him Willy though. He is Will to his friends and Billy to us.
It is supposedly a popular name and there are to others in the school, but we don't know that many of them.
We just knew he was a William the minute we saw him. He could also have been Joseph or Frederick.

DS1's middle name is William - I call him Billy-boy sometimes

My cousin William gets called Will.

Kids will find something to tease any other child about. Perhaps getting called Willy is better than some of the other extremely hurtful things that kids might come up with.
Our ds is officially called John, but we call him Johnny. Wasn't sure about this at first, but I would rather kids at school teased him about his name instead of, for example, picking on an aspect of his physical appearance or speech. We decided to officially call him John so that he has the choice later as to which form of the name he uses.

ds2 is william and he enver has his name shortened, hes just 4 now and if you call him any other name, will, bill, billy he says my naeme is william! when we were expecting him we were adamant that he would be a will and not william, but it just didn't sit right, i always wanted to finish the name off so he became william after about 2 days.
although when i just asked him if he likes being called william, he just said 'yes william willy willy head' !!!!!!! i'm speechless, i suppose he's just at that age!

My DS has a friend called William (although, tbh, not a child I would like to name one of mine after ) and he is always called William - not shortened at all.

. Thank you. Amusing and instructive.