Wilhelmina
Feminine · “will-helmet”
Wilhelmina is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 13,094 girls against 5 boys since 1880.
Wilhelmina is the full German and Dutch feminine of William, and a queen of the Netherlands carried it for fifty-eight years — through two world wars, the second of them from exile in London.
How old is the name Wilhelmina?
Wilhelmina was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Wilhelmina alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 4,500 people named Wilhelmina are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Wilhelmina most popular?
Wilhelmina peaked in 1884, reaching #215 nationally. Today it ranks #1512, 1,297 places below that high. See the whole 1884 chart.
Where it comes from
From Willahelm to Wilhelmina
The story of Wilhelmina
Wilhelm is the German form of William, and Wilhelmina its Latinate feminine. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands reigned from 1890 to 1948 and became a symbol of Dutch resistance during the German occupation, broadcasting from London. Dutch and German emigration brought the name to America, where it peaked around 1900.
Meaning
will-helmet, resolute protector
From the Germanic wil, 'will' or 'desire', and helm, 'helmet' or 'protection', through Wilhelm. Both halves are ordinary words, and the compound reads as something like 'protected by will' — the standard Germanic way of building a name from two plain nouns.
How the name formed
- Willahelm
- Wilhelm
- Wilhelmina
Related forms: Wilhelmina · Wilhelmine · Willa · Guglielmina
Pronouncing Wilhelmina
wil-hel-MEE-nuh
Four syllables, stress on the third. Dutch says vil-hel-MEE-na with a v at the front.
Nicknames for Wilhelmina
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
- 1916320 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #215reached in 1884
- Change vs 2022
- +3.7%141 in 2025, from 136
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.
Wilhelmina in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Wilhelmina in Dutch — same name
- Wilhelmine in German — related form
- Willa in English — related form
- Guglielmina in Italian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Michigan.
Wilhelminas among us
people named Wilhelmina are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 11,399 born in 2025 was named Wilhelmina
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Wilhelmina is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Wilhelmina is headed
Wilhelmina should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Wilhelmina beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Wilhelmina in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented queen of real historical weight stands behind it.
- It sits inside one of the largest name families in Europe.
- Mina, Willa and Billie are three quite different short forms.
- It is a long name in an era that has favored shorter ones.
- It is strongly period-coded to the turn of the last century in American records.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Wilhelmina to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Wilhelmina? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Wilhelmina
Feminine · #1512 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Wilhelminas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 4,500 people named Wilhelmina are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Wilhelmina in 2025?
- Wilhelmina ranks #1512 among US girl names in 2025, with 141 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Wilhelmina?
- About 1 in every 11,399 US girls born in 2025 was named Wilhelmina — 141 in all.
- Will my child share the name Wilhelmina with classmates?
- Wilhelmina will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Wilhelmina
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Malky#1512 · Finnley#1512 · Lucero#1512 · Evalina#1512 · Jewel#1512 · Jannah#1518 · Rya#1518 · Rosalind#1518
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Wilhelmina? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Wilhelmina and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle