William of Ockham or Occam ( OK-əm; Latin: Gulielmus Occamus; c. 1287 – 9/10 April 1347) was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, apologist, and theologian, who was born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of the 14th century. He is widely known for Occam's razor, the methodological principle that bears his name, and also produced significant works on logic, physics and theology. Ockham is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration corresponding to the commonly ascribed date of his death on 10 April. Source: Wikipedia (en)