Wylma
Feminine · “will-helmet”
Wylma is Wilma with a y, a short form of Wilhelmina that became a name of its own. The best-known Wilma of recent times led the Cherokee Nation.
How old is the name Wylma?
Wylma first appears in US birth records in 1899 — 126 years ago. The typical Wylma alive today was born around 1922, making them about 103 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Wylma are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Wylma most popular?
Wylma peaked in 1914, reaching #1228 nationally. See the whole 1914 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Wilhelmina to Wylma
The story of Wylma
Wilma Mankiller grew up in Oklahoma and in a San Francisco housing project after her family was relocated under a federal program, returned to the Cherokee Nation, and became its first woman principal chief, working on rural water, housing and health; she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Wilma had come from the German royal name Wilhelmina. Wylma writes it with a y, and no record explains the choice.
Meaning
will-helmet, through Wilhelmina
Wilma is a short form of Wilhelmina, the feminine of Wilhelm, from Germanic wil, will, and helm, helmet or protection. Wylma is a spelling with a y.
How the name formed
- Wilhelmina
- Wilma
- Wylma
Related forms: Wilma · Wilhelmina
Pronouncing Wylma
WIL-muh
Two syllables, stressed on the first.
Nicknames for Wylma
Limited
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
- 1899
- Most girls named
- 192033 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1228reached in 1914
- Change vs 1952
- −14.3%6 in 1953, from 7
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.
Wylma in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Wilma in German — same name
- Wilhelmina in Dutch — related form
Wylmas among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Wylma are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Wylma 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 has a clear meaning and an admired namesake.
- It is short and easy to say.
- People will write Wilma.
- Many will think of the cartoon Wilma Flintstone.
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Wylma
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Wylmas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Wylma are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Wylma in 2025?
- Wylma is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Wylma with classmates?
- Wylma 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 Wylma? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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