Wilmot
A surname most likely from William, originally a pet form meaning “little William” or “William’s son.”
The #6,854 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,881 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Wilmot is generally treated as a diminutive of William. The name ultimately goes back to the Germanic elements meaning “will, desire” and “helmet, protection,” but in surname use Wilmot is best understood as a short, affectionate form built from William plus a diminutive ending. In medieval records, forms such as Williamot and similar pet-name variants were shortened to Wilmot.
History
The name appears in medieval English records and was later established as a hereditary surname. Some dictionaries also note related continental forms such as French Wilmotte or Wilmet, showing how the same nickname-style formation spread across languages. In English usage, Wilmot has long been found both as a surname and, less often, as a given name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some English place-names and field-names preserve Wilmot as a shortened form of William, showing how nicknames could become fixed surnames.
From the historical record
“Wynel's Mead Down or Hill. WILMOT 1 ^ vVillmot(t, q.v. WILMOTT/ vvnimouL, q.v. WILMSHURST (Eng.) Bel. to Wilmshurst [O.E. hyrst, a wood : the first element is an A.-Sax. pers. name in the genit. — Wighelm, Wynhelm, or Wilhelm] Wl LMSLOW (Eng.) Bel. to Wilmslow (Chesh.)”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)