Wilhelmine
A feminine Germanic name composed of two elements: "wil" meaning "desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Wilhelmine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wilhelmine today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilhelmine births was 1896 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilhelmine. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Wilhelmine is about 65 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wilhelmines were born before 1971.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wilhelmine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1896
20 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,062
Tracked since 1880
Census
Wilhelmine in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 233 people with the first name Wilhelmine, which placed it at #34,862 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,862
National first-name rank
People counted
233
233 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilhelmine
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wilhelmine is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Wilhelmine described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Wilhelmine at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 184
- Black or African American15.9% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 2
Popularity
Wilhelmine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wilhelmine from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 143 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilhelmine by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Wilhelmine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wilhelmines live
Origin
Meaning and history of Wilhelmine
The name Wilhelmine originated from the Germanic language group, specifically from the Old High German name Willahelm or Willihelm. It is a combination of two words - wil, meaning "will" or "desire", and helm, meaning "helmet" or "protection". Together, the name signifies a strong-willed protector or someone with a resolute spirit.
The name first gained prominence during the Middle Ages, particularly in the regions that are now modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was a popular name among the nobility and ruling classes during this period, often given to princesses and noblewomen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wilhelmine can be found in the chronicles of the Carolingian dynasty, which ruled a large portion of Western Europe from the 8th to the 10th century. Princess Wilhelmine of Aquitaine, born in 832, was a daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious and a prominent figure in her time.
In the 17th century, Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, born in 1673, was a highly influential princess who played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of her time. She was a patron of the arts and sciences and corresponded with many of the leading thinkers and philosophers of the Enlightenment period.
During the 18th century, Wilhelmine of Prussia, born in 1709, was a Prussian princess known for her intelligence, wit, and her tumultuous relationship with her brother, Frederick the Great. She was an important figure in the court of Prussia and a notable patron of the arts and culture.
Another notable Wilhelmine was Wilhelmine of Baden, born in 1788, who was the wife of the Grand Duke of Baden and a renowned patron of the arts and sciences. She played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of her time and was known for her support of artists, writers, and scholars.
In the 19th century, Wilhelmine Marie of Denmark, born in 1808, was a Danish princess who became the Queen of Sweden and Norway through her marriage to King Oscar I. She was a highly respected and influential figure in both countries and was known for her charitable work and support of education.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Wilhelmine throughout history, reflecting its enduring popularity and significance across various cultures and time periods.
People
Wilhelmine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilhelmine as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with W
Other first names starting with W with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Wilhelmine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilhelmine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilhelmine going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Wilhelmine a common name?
We classify Wilhelmine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 525 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilhelmine most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilhelmine was 1896, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilhelmine is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wilhelmine in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 233 people with the name Wilhelmine, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,862 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Wilhelmine in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Wilhelmine?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wilhelmine appears almost entirely female. Of the 228 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Wilhelmine?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wilhelmine is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Wilhelmine most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wilhelmine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (184 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Wilhelmine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wilhelmine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wilhelmine in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Wilhelmine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wilhelmine in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Wilhelmine can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Wilhelmine?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.