Daily AncestorBill
Bill is an old pet form of William, so look for the same person under William as well.
Bill is a short form of William, and Charlotte Yonge lists it with Will and Willie among the English forms of the name.
Many records were made with the name a person went by, so look for Bill as well as William in indexes. Check other details before treating them as one man.
As seen in a recordStore account book, 1826; the same man signs deeds as William
Recd of Bill Cranshaw two dollars in full of all accounts
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Bill." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/nicknames/bill. Last checked 2026-10-15.