Given name & surname
Vilhelm
“the determined protector”·“will”·“desire”
Vilhelm 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.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Danish use, Vilhelm carries the interpretation “the determined protector.” Vilhelm 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 Danish.
How it developed
In Scandinavian use, Vilhelm is used as a form of William. Vilhelm 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
Vilhelm 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.
Explained through its name family
Vilhelm’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Vilhelm has a diminutive in Ville. In Swedish usage, Vilhelm shares a linguistic root with the English form William. In Finnish usage, Vilhelm has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Guillermo.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Vilhelm has relatives in 13 languages. Lines run from its Danish roots to each of them.
14 related names in 13 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 13
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Vilhelm
- Vilhelm ThomsenDanish linguist (1842-1927)
- Vilhelm BjerknesNorwegian physicist and meteorologist (*1862 – †1951)
- Vilhelm HammershøiDanish artist (1864–1916)
- Vilhelm BuhlDanish politician (1881–1954)
- Vilhelm EkelundSwedish poet (1880–1949)
- Vilhelm CarlbergSwedish sport shooter (1880-1970)
- Vilhelm KnorinSoviet historian (1890-1938)
- Vilhelm WolfhagenDanish footballer (1889-1958)
- Vilhelm AnderssonSwedish water polo player (1891–1933)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Vilhelm, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.