William Lindsay

(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.

Scottish: habitational name from Lindsey in Lincolnshire, England.This is first found in the form Lindissi, apparently a derivative of the British name of Lincoln. To this was later added the Old English element ēg ‘island’, since the place was virtually cut off by the surrounding fenland.The surname was taken to Scotland at an early date and is the name of an important and powerful Scottish family.