William Nunn

(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.

English (mainly East Anglia): nickname for a pious and demure man, or an occupational name for someone who worked at a convent, from Middle English nunn ‘nun’ (Old English nunne, from Latin nonna, originally a respectful term of address for an elderly woman. The Latin word probably originated as a nursery term).