Wille
A surname that most often began as a short form of William or a related Germanic name.
The #8,780 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 82,685 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as a short or reduced form of William, ultimately from Germanic elements meaning "will, desire" and "helmet, protection." In some traditions it may also reflect a similar continental Germanic personal name rather than a direct English diminutive. The old sources also show occasional confusion with local bynames and with spellings that overlap other surnames.
History
19th-century surname dictionaries commonly treat Wille as a variant or short form connected with William and related names. In England it appears in medieval records in spellings such as William atte Wille, though that may be a separate local byname in some cases. The name also fits broader continental Germanic naming patterns, which is why it shows up in English, Dutch, and German contexts.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname compilers sometimes filed Wille under William because the two names were so closely linked in medieval records.
From the historical record
“COCKS. See William. WILLE. See William. W^ILLEMEXT. The tradition of the family is, that they were originally from French Flanders, and fled hither, either from the Duke of Alva's persecution, or after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. WIL”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom