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I like it. It is my dad's name (and was his father's as well). I think it works well for a grown man and would be kind of cute on a little boy. My dad was Billy when he was young (his father was too, I think), but I kind of like the idea of just Bill, even on a little boy.

I had a wonderful cousin Bill, who was a William on all the forms but never in real life! Bill could also work for Willard or Wilson or even Wilbur, I suppose, but William is totally wonderful and it would be refreshing to meet a little Bill rather than a Liam or a Will. Go for it!

Interesting

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I know far fewers Bills than I do Williams, but it seems that most people know more Bills than Williams. So maybe my impression of these names is reversed from the general one.

Do you watch True Blood? When Sookie says Bill in that sick fake Southern accent I want to vom.

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Anyway, I don't like Bill. It's very used car salesman to me.

Ugh Sookie Stackhouse....

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Charlaine Harris can't write. I have no idea why her books are popular or why they inspired an HBO series.

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But onto the name...

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William is a family name. My grandfather went by Willie and Bill (but of course I only ever heard him called "grandpa" so that never registered with me). My younger brother was named in honor of him. Family calls him Billy. He tried to go by Bill (he was such a serious little kid!) but I don't think it ever caught on. I call him Willy-Billy because I'm the older sister so I'm allowed to give nicknames that are inherently stupid. But there are SO MANY William/Billy/Bill/Wills in his age group that everyone calls him by our last name--which is quite strange and very uncommon.

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So it's common. I love William. Hate Bill.

I've never given it much thought, but now that I have dedicated some time to it, I realize I admire its starchy, shamelessly quotidian charm.

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I really love Billie as a feminine nickname.

It always makes me think of the Schoolhouse Rock song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyeJ55o3El0

I've known so many Bills that the name seems very generic to me, but if you really like it, why not? There aren't many little boys who are called Bill these days, so it's at least unexpected.

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I really like William.

It makes me think of Clinton. As nns of William go, I prefer Will.

I like the name, but I might be biased as it is a family name. My brother is Billy (from William) and I have an uncle Bill (from William) as well.
William is a common but still handsome name. I think that Bill is probably the most usual nickname, as I don't know many Williams who go by William, usually they go by Billy or Bill.

I have an uncle Bill and we have a good friend named Bill. I like it for a nickname of William. It seems a bit odd on a very young person. There was a boy in school with me named Bill (William) and even at nine years old I thought it was kind of funny for a kid his age to go by Bill. But since there was also a Will, a Willie and a couple of Billys, Bill made more sense.

It's a bit drab, especially for you. William is fine, but I find it generic. I remember you complaining that Katherine and James were like giving one's child no name at all. Ironic, then, that Bill would pique your interest.

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Both my grandfather and two of my great-grandfathers (and several others before that) were all Williams. Most of them Bills, though one went by "W. O."

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Bill is a little flat.

It's bland and unmemorable to me. I've met so many Bills, it just doesn't register.