Wills
Usually a patronymic surname meaning “son of Will,” with some historical overlap from place-name forms linked to wells.
The #1,244 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,941 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wills is most commonly a shortened patronymic from the medieval personal name Will, itself a familiar short form of William. In that sense, the surname originally meant “Will’s son” or “belonging to Will.” Some older surname lists also connect it with a possible minority line from a dwelling-by-the-wells form, but the patronymic explanation is the standard one.
History
The name appears in English records in several spellings, and it has long been treated as part of the large family of William-derived surnames such as Wilson, Wilkins, and Williamson. Historical surname writers also note that it occurs in English county records, especially in the north and northwest. Modern bearers in Britain, the U.S., and elsewhere generally inherit the surname from this English patronymic tradition.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname dictionaries explicitly grouped Wills with the many surnames descended from William, showing how productive that medieval forename was in English naming.
From the historical record
“WILLOX for Willooks, q.v. WILLS I Will's (Son) : v. WilM,^ 2 Dweller at the Wells : v. Will''. WILLSHER Wl WILLSON, Will's Son: v. WilP,^ Cp. Wilson. WILLY = Willey, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)