Willem
Masculine · “will-helmet”
Willem is the Dutch of William — will and helmet — and William of Orange led the revolt that made the Netherlands.
How old is the name Willem?
Willem first appears in US birth records in 1916 — 109 years ago. The typical Willem alive today was born around 2006, making them about 19 years old. About 2,700 people named Willem are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Willem most popular?
Willem peaked in 2003, reaching #1205 nationally. Today it ranks #2572, 1,367 places below that high. See the whole 2003 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From wil helm to Willem
The story of Willem
Willem van Oranje led the Dutch revolt against Spain and was assassinated in 1584; the Dutch national anthem is written in his voice. The name's elements mean will and helmet — resolution and protection. Willem is standard in Dutch and Afrikaans and is in current American use.
Meaning
will-helmet, resolute protector
From the Germanic wil, 'will' or 'desire', and helm, 'helmet' or 'protection'. Willem is the Dutch form. The Normans carried William to England, where it became the commonest name for centuries. The elements are documented.
How the name formed
- wil helm
- Wilhelm
- Willem
Related forms: Willem · Wilhelm · William
Pronouncing Willem
VIL-em
Two syllables, stress on the first. Dutch gives the w a v-like sound.
Nicknames for Willem
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
- 1916
- Most boys named
- 2003122 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1205reached in 2003
- Change vs 2024
- +2.0%51 in 2025, from 50
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.
Willem in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Willem in Dutch — same name
- Wilhelm in German — related form
- William in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Michigan.
Willems among us
people named Willem are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 33,492 born in 2025 was named Willem
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Paolo test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Willem's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Paolo climbed just as high around 1983, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Paolo's path sketches the road Willem is walking now.
Willem sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Willem is headed
Willem 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.
Willem beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Willem in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the Dutch anthem is written in his voice is a first-rate fact.
- Wim and Will are two short forms, both with real use.
- The will-and-helmet meaning is transparent and strong.
- Dutch pronounces the w as a v.
- William is what English speakers will substitute.
- It reads as specifically Dutch.
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What they receive
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Willem
Masculine · #2572 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Willems are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,700 people named Willem are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Willem in 2025?
- Willem ranks #2572 among US boy names in 2025, with 51 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Willem?
- About 1 in every 33,492 US boys born in 2025 was named Willem — 51 in all.
- Will my child share the name Willem with classmates?
- Willem will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Willem
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Nicolai#2572 · Parth#2572 · Duane#2572 · Nikolaos#2572 · Efraim#2572 · Zair#2572 · Ripp#2572 · Stryker#2572
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Willem? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Willem and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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