Wilson is an English, Scottish, and Northern Irish surname, common in the English-speaking world, with several distinct origins.
The medieval Will is derived from any of several names containing Old Norse or the first Germanic element wil, meaning "desire".
[1] Possibly the most common of these names was William, derived from elements wil and helm, meaning "desire" and "helmet", "protection".
[2] The surname Wilson is first recorded in England as Willeson in 1324[3] and in Scotland as Wulson in 1405.
[7] Wilson is also now quite common as a surname in many other countries with a large English-speaking population such as Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand.