Why is Bill Gates called BILL, when his name is Willam Gates III?

Answer 1

I would think its because William Gates III has a popular 'young' image that people use his 'pet' of 'nick name'

To prove my point think of Margaret Thatcher - a unfriendly figure and no pet name.

Short form of WILLIAM, arising in the 19th century. The change in the initial consonant may have been influenced by an earlier Irish pronunciation of the name.

Hypocoristics is the correct term

a reduction of a longer word to a single syllable, then adding -y or -ie to the end, such as movie ('moving picture'), telly ('television') or Aussie ('Australian').
a contracted form of a given name, such as Tony from Anthony or Vicky from Victoria.
a baby-talk form approximating the name's pronunciation, such as Bess for Elizabeth.
a given name with a diminutive suffix; in some languages diminutive forms of names are used primarily when referring to children and the meaning can oscillate between tenderness and condescension when used for an adult.
-ito/-ita or -ín/-ina in Spanish, such as Juanita from Juana. Extra consonants may be interposed as in Carmelina and Carmencita from Carmen, or merged, as in Carmina.
-chen, -lein, -(l)i (usually used with names) in German, such as Hündchen or Hündlein (from 'Hund', meaning dog) or Kalli (from 'Karl', a name), normally accompanied by a change of the vowel to ü, ö or ä, respectively (e.g. Hund - Hündchen, Arm - Ärmchen, Holz, Hölzchen).

Answer 2

There are many theories on why Bill became a nickname for William; the most obvious is that it was part of the Middle Ages trend of letter swapping. Much how Dick is a rhyming nickname for Rick, the same is true of Bill and Will. Because hard consonants are easier to pronounce than soft ones, some believe Will morphed into Bill for phonetic reasons. Interestingly, when William III ruled over in England in the late 17th century, his subjects mockingly referred to him as "King Billy."

Answer 3

I'm sure you have a nick name and most everyone that knows you calls you by your nick. Right? Well William Jefferson Clinton is also called Bill. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was called Jack. William Gates is called Bill. Don't read anything into it.

Answer 4

For the same reason William Jefferson Clinton is called Bill.

Answer 5

Bill is a very common nickname for people named William.

Answer 6

Because Bill is short for William!

Answer 7

Bill is the short form of William.

Answer 8

Bill = William

Answer 9

Uh, apparently he prefers the diminutive version of his first name... it's pretty common for guys named William to be known as Bill

ie, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, etc

Answer 10

Because Bill is short for william?