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Willis (surname)

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Willis is a surname of French and English origin. The oldest extant family of the name, the Willes family of Warwickshire, formerly of Newbold Comyn and Fenny Compton, has used the spellings 'Willis,' 'Willys,' and 'Wyllys' and appear in records from 1330.[1] In this case, the name derives from the name de Welles (under which name the family were Lincolnshire noblemen) which comes from the Norman name de Vallibus (meaning 'of the valley'), which in turn was derived from the Vaux family tree. The Vaux family, established in England by Harold de Vaux, a close relative of William the Conqueror, appears in French records from 794. They had held power in their own right and through royal intermarriages.[2] Variations of the surname include Welles, Wells, and Wyllys.

There are other derivations of the name, including 'son of William/ Will' (whereby the name has developed from 'Wills', and is similar to 'Wilson' and other related names);[3] because of the popularity of the name 'William' since the Norman conquest, it is clear that by no means are all people with this surname- even very distantly- related.[4]

Sources of the name notwithstanding, specific notable Willis families (aside from those in Warwickshire, aforementioned) were of: Halsnead, Lancashire (now in Whiston, Merseyside); Atherfield, on the Isle of Wight (and subsequently of an estate named after it at Woldingham, Surrey); and Monk's Barn, Petersfield, Hampshire. The Willis (later Willis Bund) family were of Wick, Worcestershire; two baronetcies were created for brothers Thomas and Richard Willis (also Willys), of Cambridgeshire origin, both being extinct at the failure of their descendants by 1732.[5]


Notable persons with this surname include:

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  • Vic Willis (1875–1947), American Major League baseball player
  • Victor Willis (born 1951), American singer/songwriter

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References

  1. ^ Burke's Landed Gentry, 1969, 'Willes formerly of Newbold Comyn'
  2. ^ History of the Welles family of England and Normandy, Albert Welles, 1876, pp 6-8
  3. ^ The Scottish Surnames of Colonial America, David Dobson, 2003, pg 148
  4. ^ American Surnames, Elsdon Coles Smith, 1986, pg 49
  5. ^ Burke's Family Index, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1976, pp. 166-167
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