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Question: William shortened to Bill!?
Does anyone know why!? Will or Willie but why Bill!? There`s Jan for Janet, Bernie for Bernadette, Sue for Susan etcWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Nicknames like Bill, Dick, and Bob have passed through two stages:
1) During the Middle Ages, family and friends shortened William, Richard, and Robert to Will, Rich, and Rob!.
2) Then, in some instances, they rhymed the nickname with the original nickname: Bill rhymes with Will; Dick rhymes with Rick; Bob rhymes with Rob!.

Some girls' given names follow a similar process, for instance, the nickname for Margaret, Meg, rhymes with Peg!. Sometimes a diminutive is added Billy, Ricky, Dicky, Bobby, Peggy!. Doll, Poll, and Moll, nicknames for Mary, often add the diminutive: Dolly, Polly, and Molly!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Names starting with W is difficult to pronounce and if we change it to be B it is easy!. So there is a tendency among people to replace W with B as phonetically it is easy !. Like wise William became Billiam and as time passed it became BILL!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think it is Germanic!.
For example, they cannot naturally pronounce "will"!. but say "Vill"
So Bill may be another lack of pronunciation, and a lot of Germans are called Villiam, or Billiam!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

There's also Gill (hard G sound) For Guillaume the French form of William and for Guillome the Spanish form of William!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Evelyn S is the closest you'll get to an accurate answer, and reflects how names & nicknames worked with my English side back to 1600!. I'd give her the 10 pts!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

its to do with the old english (angalo saxon) spelling of william!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

its the same as
dickie is short for richard
ted is short for theodore,
um havent got the foggiest clue why though!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Bill as a short form of William was not used until the 17th!. century!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Because Will's a bankerWww@QuestionHome@Com