Wilhelmena
Feminine
Wilhelmena respells a name that belonged to a Dutch queen who reigned for most of a lifetime. She was the first of three in a row, and for a hundred and twenty years the Netherlands did not have a king at all.
How old is the name Wilhelmena?
Wilhelmena first appears in US birth records in 1896 — 129 years ago. The typical Wilhelmena alive today was born around 1930, making them about 95 years old. About 200 people named Wilhelmena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Wilhelmena most popular?
Wilhelmena peaked in 1896, reaching #1416 nationally. See the whole 1896 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Wilhelmena
Wilhelmina came to the Dutch throne as a child, reigned for nearly sixty years, and was succeeded by her daughter Juliana, who was succeeded by her daughter Beatrix, who abdicated in favor of her son. That is three reigning queens consecutively, covering the whole period from the late nineteenth century to the twenty-first, which is not something any other European monarchy has managed. The first of them spent the German occupation in London, refused to leave, and broadcast to the occupied country by radio in defiance of an order making listening a crime. Churchill is supposed to have called her the only real man among the governments in exile, which says as much about him as about her.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name is a double diminutive built on Wilhelm, whose Germanic elements are documented. This spelling, with an e for the i, is not documented and no reason for it has been recorded.
Pronouncing Wilhelmena
wil-huh-MEE-nuh
Four syllables with the weight on the third. In Dutch the w is closer to a v and the h is sounded clearly.
Nicknames for Wilhelmena
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
- 1896
- Most girls named
- 191926 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1416reached in 1896
- Change vs 1961
- +20.0%6 in 1963, from 5
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.
Wilhelmena in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Wilhelmina in Dutch — same name
- Wilhelmine in German — same name
Wilhelmenas among us
people named Wilhelmena 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
Wilhelmena 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
- It carries three ready short forms, all of them established names in their own right.
- The name behind it is documented across northern Europe and has a real royal history.
- Four open syllables make it unmistakable when spoken.
- Wilhelmina is the standard spelling and this one will be corrected to it regularly.
- Four syllables is a lot for an American form, and it will be shortened by other people first.
- It reads as a name of a much older generation, which is either the appeal or the obstacle.
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Wilhelmena
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Wilhelmenas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Wilhelmena are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Wilhelmena in 2025?
- Wilhelmena is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Wilhelmena with classmates?
- Wilhelmena will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More W names
The most-given names starting with W, all years combined.
Wanda#5917 · Wendy#1341 · Willie#10107 · Wilma#3645 · Whitney#1043 · Willow#44 · Winifred#922 · Willa#422
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Wilhelmena? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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