William Albritton

(male) Probably the most successful of all the Old French names of Germanic origin that were introduced to England by the Normans. It is derived from Germanic wil ‘will, desire’ + helm ‘helmet, protection’. The fact that it was borne by the Conqueror himself does not seem to have inhibited its favour with the ‘conquered’ population: in the first century after the Conquest it was the commonest male name of all, and not only among the Normans. In the later Middle Ages it was overtaken by John, but continued to run second to that name until the 20th century, when the picture became more fragmented.

Variant of English Al(l)brighton, a habitational name from either of two places in Shropshire called Albrighton. The place near Shifnal (Albricstone in Domesday Book) was named with the Old English personal name Æðelbeorh + tūn ‘settlement’. The one near Shrewsbury appears in Domesday Book as Etbritone and was named in Old English as ‘Ẹadbeorht's settlement’. Albright Hussey in Shropshire is in the parish of Albrighton (having been part of the same manor) and was also formerly known as Albrighton; this too may be a source of the surname.