Guillen
A Spanish and French surname from a medieval form of William, ultimately meaning “resolute protection.”
The #1,166 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,239 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Guillen is generally treated as a Romance form of the old Germanic personal name Wilhelm, the source of English William. The name breaks down to elements often explained as “will, desire” plus “helmet, protection,” giving the sense of “resolute protector.” In Spanish and related Romance usage, Guillen represents a medieval vernacular form of that name, later fixed as a hereditary surname.
History
The historical record shows Guillen appearing as a surname in medieval Iberian contexts, and the same name family also produced many French and southern French forms such as Guilhem, Guillerm, and Guillemot. In modern use it is especially associated with Spanish-speaking communities, though it also appears in France and other Romance-language regions. As with many surnames from personal names, it likely began as an identifying reference to “son of William” or simply to a bearer of the given name Guillem/Guillén.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Germanic name behind Guillen also lies behind a huge family of surnames across Europe, including William, Guillaume, Guillem, and Wilhelm.
From the historical record
“Guillemot. Dér. de Guillem. Guillen. F. de Guillin. Guillermin, Guillermat, Guil- lerme , G uillenuier , Guillermon , GuiUermy . GuiUerme est une forme méridionale de Guillelm. Les autres”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)