Wilma
A feminine name of German origin meaning "resolute protection".
Name Census estimates that about 30,492 living Americans carry the first name Wilma. It is a predominantly female name (99.5% of registrations). The average person named Wilma today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wilma births was 1925 (4,202 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wilma. 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
- • Although Wilma is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 754 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Wilma is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wilmas were born before 1961.
- • Compared to the 1920s, recent registration numbers for Wilma have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
30K
~ 1 in 11,241 Americans
Peak year
1925
4,202 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1961 SSA rank
#2,893
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Wilma
Out of the 140,810 babies given the name Wilma since 1880, 99.5% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Wilma as a male name
- Ranked #2,893 in 1961
- 10 male births in 1961
- Peak: 1929 (29 births)
Wilma as a female name
- Ranked #4,100 in 2024
- 36 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1925 (4,175 births)
Popularity
Wilma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wilma from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 39,347 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Wilma 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 Wilma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wilmas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 50 states and territories. Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky recorded the most babies named Wilma, while Rhode Island, Alaska, New Hampshire recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 2,633 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Wilma
The name Wilma is a feminine given name of Germanic origin, derived from the Old Germanic elements "wil" meaning "will" or "desire," and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection." It essentially translates to "resolute protection" or "strong-willed protector."
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as "Wilburga" or "Williburga" during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 7th to 11th centuries CE. It was a popular name among royalty and nobility during this time, with notable bearers including Saint Wilburga, an Anglo-Saxon nun and abbess who lived in the 7th century.
As the name evolved, it took on various spellings such as "Wilma," "Wilhelmina," and "Willa" in different Germanic languages and cultures. One of the earliest recorded instances of the spelling "Wilma" dates back to the 13th century in Germany.
During the Middle Ages, the name Wilma was commonly found in Germanic regions, including parts of modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. It was often associated with strong-willed and determined women, reflecting the name's meaning.
Historically, several notable figures have borne the name Wilma. One of the earliest was Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994), an American sprinter who overcame polio and became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games in 1960.
Another famous Wilma was Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010), the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, who played a pivotal role in revitalizing the Cherokee community and promoting self-governance.
In the realm of literature, Wilma Stockenström (1933-2020) was a renowned South African poet and writer, known for her contributions to Afrikaans literature and her advocacy for human rights.
Wilma Deering was a fictional character in the classic science fiction comic strip "Buck Rogers," representing a strong and capable female lead during a time when such roles were rare in popular culture.
Wilma Glodean Rudolph (1923-1994), an American educator and civil rights activist, was a prominent figure in the fight for desegregation and equal educational opportunities in the United States.
While the name Wilma has its roots in Germanic languages, it has gained popularity and recognition across various cultures and regions throughout history, often associated with strength, determination, and a resolute spirit.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Wilma
People
Wilma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wilma 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
Wilma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wilma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 30,492 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wilma 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 11,241 US residents.
Is Wilma a common name?
We classify Wilma as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 140,810 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wilma most popular?
The single biggest year for Wilma was 1925, when 4,202 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wilma is about 75 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Wilma a female name?
Yes, 99.5% of people registered as Wilma 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.
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.