Given name & surname
Guillaume
“the determined protector”·“will”·“desire”
Guillaume is a form of William. William’s elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination.
Original FrenchGuillot
Meaning & origin
What it means
In French use, Guillaume carries the interpretation “the determined protector.” Guillaume is a form of William. William’s elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
How it developed
In French use, Guillaume is used as a form of William. Guillaume is a form of William. The shared background comes through William: William joins the Germanic elements wil and helm. The second element began with the concrete image of a helmet and also carried the broader idea of protection.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1967. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Guillaume is a form of William. The history of William gives this family its wider story. William spread widely in England after the Norman Conquest, among people beyond the Norman ruling class. William remained prominent through the Middle Ages and became a royal name in England, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Guillaume through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 342
- 342 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1997
- 19 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 19 in 1997. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,451 as a first name in 2020; 3,611 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Guillaume’s family of names
In French usage, Guillaume has a diminutive in GUILLEMETTE. Guillaume shares a linguistic root with William. In French usage, Guillaume has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Guillermo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Guillaume has relatives in 59 languages. Lines run from its French roots to each of them.
Frenchwhere Guillaume comes from · 3 names
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Guillotdiminutive · French
- Guillemettediminutive · French
- Guillermovariant · Spanish, English
- Guilhermevariant · Portuguese
- Gwilymvariant · Welsh
- Gillermovariant
- Willamevariant · Old French
- Guglilmovariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Across languages 85
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Williamdoublet · French, English
- LiamIrish, Scottish Gaelic
- Willequivalent
- WillemDutch
- Wilhelmdoublet · Polish, German
- Billequivalent
- WiliamWelsh
- IlliamManx
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- UilliamIrish
- VilhoFinnish
- VilleFinnish
- GillenBasque
- 紀堯姆borrowing · Chinese
- Wiyåmecognate · Walloon
- Dgilliaumeborrowing · nrf
- ΓουλιέλμοςGreek
- GuilhermoPortuguese
- VilémCzech
- Guilielmusequivalent
- Goulielmosequivalent
- Guilelmusequivalent
- VilhjálmrOld Norse
- ВільгельмUkrainian
- VilhelmSwedish, Romanian
- VillemSwedish
- ViljemSlovene
- ViliamSlovak
- ВильгельмRussian
- Guiaumétpoitevin-saintongeais
- Guiaumetpoitevin-saintongeais
- Guiaumepoitevin-saintongeais
- Guiamétpoitevin-saintongeais
- Guiâmepoitevin-saintongeais
- Gllaumétpoitevin-saintongeais
- Gllaumetpoitevin-saintongeais
- Gllaumepoitevin-saintongeais
- Gllamétpoitevin-saintongeais
- Gllametpoitevin-saintongeais
- Gllamepoitevin-saintongeais
- Willaumepcd
- Guiyômepcd
- GuilhèmOccitan
- GuilhemOccitan
- Gllâomenormand
- WimDutch
- VilhelmasLithuanian
- ViliusLithuanian
- VilhelmsLatvian
- ViļumsLatvian
- WillelmusLatin
- GulielmusLatin
- ギヨームJapanese
- VilhjálmurIcelandic, Faroese
- VilmósHungarian
- VilmosHungarian
- GwillymWelsh
- GwilimWelsh
- Lhaumigallo
- Lhaumeingallo
- Lhaumètgallo
And 25 more.
People named Guillaume
- Guillaume ApollinaireFrench poet (1880–1918)
- Guillaume de MachautMedieval French composer and poet (c. 1300–1377)
- Guillaume Du Faycomposer of the Renaissance (1397–1474)
- Guillaume V of Luxembourgmonarch of Luxembourg since 2025born 1981
- Guillaume de l'HôpitalFrench noble and mathematician (*1661 – †1704)
- William of Tyremedieval prelate and chronicler, archbishop of Tyre1130–1186
- Guillaume CanetFrench actor, film director, and screenwriter (born 1973)
- William LongswordCount of Normandy from 927 to 942905–942
- Guillaume DepardieuFrench actor (1971-2008)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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