Hilma
Feminine · “battle”
Hilma is the front of Wilhelmina turned around — or the Germanic hild, battle, given a short ending. Scandinavian and German-American families used it for both reasons.
How old is the name Hilma?
Hilma was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Hilma alive today was born around 1916, making them about 109 years old. About 300 people named Hilma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hilma most popular?
Hilma peaked in 1885, reaching #341 nationally. See the whole 1885 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From hild to Hilma
The story of Hilma
Hilma is a standard Swedish and Finnish name, and German-speaking families used it too. Scandinavian emigration to the American Midwest brought it in the nineteenth century, where it ran alongside Hilda, Selma and Alma. It appears in the registers from the 1880s and peaked around 1900.
Meaningscholars disagree
battle; resolute protector
Two routes. From the Germanic hild, 'battle' — the element behind Hilda, Matilda and the Valkyrie names. Or as a short form of Wilhelmina, from willa, 'will', and helm, 'helmet'. Both are ordinary Germanic elements and both readings are current.
How the name formed
- hild
- Hilma
Related forms: Hilma · Hilma · Hilma
Pronouncing Hilma
HIL-muh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Swedish and Finnish say it the same way.
Nicknames for Hilma
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1918102 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #341reached in 1885
- Change vs 1960
- −37.5%5 in 1971, from 8
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Hilma in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Hilma in Swedish — same name
- Hilma in Finnish — same name
- Hilma in German — same name
Hilmas among us
people named Hilma are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Hilma sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Both possible parents are transparent and well-documented Germanic compounds.
- It is a current name in Sweden and Finland.
- Two firm syllables that carry well.
- The origin is genuinely split between two routes.
- Hilda and Selma are close enough to cause confusion.
- It is strongly period-coded to the turn of the last century in American records.
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Hilma
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Hilmas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Hilma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hilma in 2025?
- Hilma is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Hilma with classmates?
- Hilma will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More H names
The most-given names starting with H, all years combined.
Helen#461 · Heather#1261 · Hannah#56 · Hazel#21 · Holly#416 · Hailey#104 · Haley#861 · Heidi#340
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hilma? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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