Given name
Hilma
“one who is protected”
Hilma is used as a given name. One German interpretation is “one who is protected.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “one who is protected.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
How it developed
In Finnish usage, Hilma is a short form of Wilhelmina.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hilma through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,999
- 0 boys · 2,999 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 105 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 girls is 5 in 1971. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 105 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 904 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hilma’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Hilma is a short form of Wilhelmina. Hilma has a related form in Hilmah. In English usage, Hilma has a related form in Wilhelmina.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Hilma
- Hilma af KlintSwedish artist (1862–1944)
- Hilma GranqvistFinnish anthropologist (1890–1972)
- Hilma Angered Strandbergwriter (1855-1927)
- Hilma CaldeiraBrazilian volleyball playerborn 1972
- Hilma NicanorNamibian politician and woman activistborn 1956
- Hilma BoreliusSwedish literary historian and suffragette1869–1932
- Hilma SwedahlSwedish prospector1870–1965
- Hilma LövblomSwedish alpine skierborn 2000
- Hilma RäsänenFinnish politician (1877-1955)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hilma, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hilda
“a battlemaiden”
>99% girls
Hedwig
“suffering strife during war”
>99% girls
Rilla
“from the small brook”
>99% girls
Irma
“a universal woman”
>99% girls
Alda
“long-lived, old; wise; an elder”
>99% girls
Elma
“having God's protection”
>99% girls
Harriette
“ruler of the house”
>99% girls
Delma
“a noble protector”
15% boys · 85% girls