Find out how popular the first name Wilhelm has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Wilhelm by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Wilhelm is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 18 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Wilhelm.

The history of the first name Wilhelm

Wilhelm is a masculine given name of Germanic origin, derived from the Old High German name Willahelm, which is a combination of two elements: "wil" meaning "will" or "desire," and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection." The name can be translated to mean "resolute protector" or "helmet of will."

The name's roots can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 8th to 10th centuries, when it was commonly used among Germanic tribes such as the Franks, Saxons, and Bavarians. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in various historical documents and chronicles from this time period.

In the 11th century, the name gained widespread popularity across Europe, particularly in the Holy Roman Empire, where it was borne by several notable figures, including Wilhelm I, Duke of Aquitaine (c. 915-963), and Wilhelm I, Count of Burgundy (c. 950-1025).

One of the most famous bearers of the name was Wilhelm I, also known as Wilhelm the Conqueror (c. 1028-1087), the first Norman king of England. He played a pivotal role in the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and is recognized as one of the most influential monarchs in English history.

Other notable historical figures with the name Wilhelm include Wilhelm II (1859-1941), the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, whose reign spanned from 1888 to 1918; Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), the German philologist and folklorist, best known for the collection of fairy tales published with his brother Jacob Grimm; and Wilhelm Röntgen (1845-1923), the German physicist who discovered X-rays and was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.

Wilhelm has also been a popular name among composers and musicians, such as Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886-1954), a renowned German conductor and composer, and Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991), a celebrated German pianist and composer.

Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including William in English, Guillaume in French, and Guglielmo in Italian, reflecting its widespread use across different cultures and languages.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Wilhelm was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wilhelm, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!