Boy · English · Christian
Wilson
WilsonSay it WIL-sun
- Meaning
- Son of William, from the pet name Will Charles Wareing Bardsley, p. 816
- Say it
- WIL-sun
- Other spellings
- Willson
Wilson
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Wilson meaning
Wilson is a Christian boy's name of English origin.
Son of William, from the pet name Will
Wilson began as an English surname. Bardsley's 1901 dictionary of surnames explains it as 'the son of William', formed from the pet name Will, and notes that it rivals Johnson, Jackson and Robinson among the commonest English patronymics. William itself is a Germanic name usually explained as 'will' plus 'helmet, protection'. Wilson became a first name in the nineteenth century, and in India it is a boy's name used in Christian families, especially in the south.
Source: Charles Wareing Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1901), p. 816 · entry Wilson, Willson · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1901), Wilson, p. 816 (archive.org)
Popularity abroad
- #673 United States, boys 2025 (down 28 from 645 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Wilson · Willson