Wylma
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variation of Wilma.
Name Census estimates that about 47 living Americans carry the first name Wylma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Wylma today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Wylma births was 1920 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Wylma. 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 Wylma is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Wylmas were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Wylma. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
47
~ 1 in 7,292,645 Americans
Peak year
1920
33 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1953 SSA rank
#5,665
Tracked since 1899
Census
Wylma in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 103 people with the first name Wylma, which placed it at #53,018 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
#53,018
National first-name rank
People counted
103
103 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wylma
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wylma is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Wylma 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 Wylma at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.9% · 71
- Black or African American24.3% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Popularity
Wylma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Wylma from the 1890s through to the 1950s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 190 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
Wylma 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 Wylma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Wylmas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Wylma
The name Wylma is of Old English origin, derived from the Germanic roots "wil" meaning "will" or "desire," and "helm," meaning "protection" or "helmet." It first appeared during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wylma can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as a variant spelling of the more common "Wilma," indicating its use among the English population at the time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Wylma gained popularity in various regions of England, particularly in the northern counties. It was often associated with strong-willed and determined individuals, reflecting the meaning of its roots.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Wylma de Wytton was mentioned in historical records as a landowner and influential figure in the county of Yorkshire. Unfortunately, not much is known about her life beyond her name and status.
Another historically significant individual bearing the name Wylma was Wylma Wycliffe, a 15th-century English scholar and religious reformer. She was a contemporary of John Wycliffe, the influential philosopher and Bible translator.
During the Renaissance period, the name Wylma found its way into literary works. In the play "The Tragedy of Mariam" by Elizabeth Cary, published in 1613, one of the characters is named Wylma, suggesting the name's continued use among the English aristocracy and literary circles.
In the 18th century, a renowned artist named Wylma Gainsborough, born in 1722 and died in 1788, gained recognition for her portraits and landscapes. Her works are still celebrated today and can be found in various art galleries and museums around the world.
Another notable figure with the name Wylma was Wylma Nightingale, the pioneering English nurse who lived from 1820 to 1910. She is widely regarded as the founder of modern nursing and made significant contributions to improving healthcare standards and practices.
While the name Wylma has fallen out of widespread use in recent times, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of English names, reflecting the country's cultural and historical heritage.
People
Wylma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Wylma 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
Wylma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Wylma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 47 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Wylma 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 7,292,645 US residents.
Is Wylma a common name?
We classify Wylma as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 542 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Wylma most popular?
The single biggest year for Wylma was 1920, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Wylma is about 86 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Wylma in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 103 people with the name Wylma, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,018 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 Wylma 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 Wylma?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Wylma leans strongly female. 110 people counted with this name were female (97.3%), compared with 3 male bearers (2.7%). 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 Wylma?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Wylma is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Wylma most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Wylma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (71 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 Wylma in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Wylma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Wylma 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 Wylma still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Wylma 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 Wylma 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 many Americans are named Wylma?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.