Find out how popular the last name Wilhelmi is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wilhelmi.

Wilhelmi, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wilhelmi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wilhelmi in America

Wilhelmi is the 21204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wilhelmi surname appeared 1,238 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Wilhelmi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wilhelmi to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Wilhelmi

The surname Wilhelmi has its origins in medieval Germany, likely deriving from the personal name Wilhelm. The name Wilhelm itself originates from Old High German elements "wil," meaning will or desire, and "helm," meaning helmet, protector. The patronymic suffix "-i" was added to form Wilhelmi, indicating "son of Wilhelm" or "descendant of Wilhelm." This surname was primarily found in regions that are now considered parts of Germany, particularly the Holy Roman Empire during the medieval period.

The surname Wilhelmi makes its first historical appearances in medieval documents and records. One of the earliest mentions can be traced back to the 13th century in various ecclesiastical and feudal records of central Europe. The name appeared in a variety of spellings, including Wilhelme and Wilhelmus, due to the lack of standardized spelling during that time. In the chronicled annals of the Holy Roman Empire, a cleric named Ludovicus Wilhelmi was noted in Cologne in the year 1243.

One notable individual bearing the surname was Johannes Wilhelmi, a 14th-century cleric who served as a scribe for the bishopric of Mainz, born around 1300 and active until his death in 1372. His documentation work remains significant in church history. Another distinguished figure is Bartholomeus Wilhelmi, a 16th-century diplomat who served under Emperor Charles V, born in 1504 and passing in 1568. His diplomatic missions significantly impacted European politics of the time.

In the realm of academia, Matthias Wilhelmi is a well-documented jurist from the 17th century who wrote extensively on civil law. He was born in 1587 and contributed substantial legal texts until his death in 1659. His legal scholarship was influential across German-speaking Europe.

Moving to the 18th century, another prominent bearer of the name was Karl Friedrich Wilhelmi, a respected botanist born in 1769 and who died in 1832. His work included extensive classifications of European flora and added notable contributions to the field of botany.

In the artistic domain, Friedrich August Wilhelmi was a notable composer and musician born in 1797. He was instrumental in the Romantic music movement and continued his work until his death in 1862. His compositions remain celebrated within classical music circles.

Through these historical records and notable individuals, the surname Wilhelmi has left a lasting legacy across various fields such as religion, diplomacy, law, science, and the arts. Its origins rooted in medieval Germany have allowed it to propagate through centuries, with each bearer contributing uniquely to their respective domains.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wilhelmi

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wilhelmi.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wilhelmi was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wilhelmi has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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