Given name & surname
Wilhelm
“will”·“desire”·“helmet”
Wilhelm is a variant of William. William’s elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination. In Swedish use, Wilhelm is a variant of Vilhelm. In Danish use, Vilhelm carries the interpretation “the determined protector.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Wilhelm is a variant of William. William’s elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination. In Swedish use, Wilhelm is a variant of Vilhelm. In Danish use, Vilhelm carries the interpretation “the determined protector.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Wilhelm is a variant of William. William is an English form of a Germanic name brought to England by the Normans.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German use, Wilhelm is used as a form of William. Wilhelm is a variant 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
The name has historical associations with royal or imperial families.
Wilhelm through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,828
- 1,828 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 38 babies
- 2025
- 26
- #4,133 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +10%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 26 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,133 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 10.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 38 in 2014. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,811 as a first name in 2020; 19,198 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.
Wilhelm’s family of names
In German usage, Wilhelm has a diminutive in Willy. Wilhelm shares a linguistic root with William. In German usage, Wilhelm has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Guillermo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Wilhelm has relatives in 46 languages.
78 related names in 46 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 72
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- LiamIrish
- GuillermoSpanish
- WillEnglish
- Wilhelminafeminine form · German
- WillisEnglish
- BillEnglish
- Wiliamequivalent
- GuilhermePortuguese
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Guillaumedoublet · French, English
- Wilhemequivalent
- GwilymWelsh
- ViliSlovene
- IlliamManx
- UilliamIrish
- VilleFinnish
- VilhoFinnish
- WilkieEnglish
- ΓουλιέλμοςGreek
- GuilhermoPortuguese
- GuglielmoItalian
- Vilhelmsborrowing · Latvian
- Vilhelmoderivative · Esperanto
- GuillemCatalan
- GuilhèmOccitan
- VilémCzech
- Gulielmafeminine form
- Willhelmusequivalent
- Wilhelmiequivalent
- Вилхелмequivalent
- Wilhelmusequivalent
- Wilhelmshas masculine form
- Witławym
- VilmosHungarian
- ViliamSlovak
- ВильгельмRussian
- VillelmusLatin
- GulielmusLatin
- GuillelmusLatin
- WiliamaHawaiian
- Willahelmroot · Old High German
- JelleWest Frisian
- GwillymWelsh
- GwilimWelsh
- GwilWelsh
- VilkoSlovene
- ViljemSlovene
- ВилијамSerbian
- VilliamSwedish
- UilleamScottish Gaelic
- Guildhelmvls
- WillmLow German
- WillkenLow German
- WiremuMāori
- VilisLatvian
- GuilielmusLatin
- VilijamCroatian
- װֶעלװֶעלYiddish
- ヴィルヘルムJapanese
- Vilhjálmuralso known as · Icelandic, Faroese
- UlickIrish
And 12 more.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Wilhelm
- Wilhelm RöntgenGerman physicist (1845–1923)
- Guillaume ApollinaireFrench poet (1880–1918)
- Wilhelm WienGerman physicist (1864-1928)
- Wilhelm I19th-century German Emperor and King of Prussia (1797–1888)
- Wilhelm WundtGerman physician, physiologist, philosopher and professor (1832–1920)
- Wilhelm OstwaldBaltic German chemist (1853–1932)
- Wilhelm KeitelGerman field marshal (1882–1946)
- Wilhelm SteinitzAustrian-American chess player (1836–1900)
- Wilhelm Eduard WeberGerman physicist (1804–1891)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Wilhelm, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wilkes
“will” · “desire”
>99% boys
Wills
“will” · “desire”
>99% boys
Henryk
“home” · “power”
>99% boys
Hendry
“home” · “power”
>99% boys
Aldrich
“an old king”
>99% boys
Henri
“home” · “power”
97% boys · 3% girls
Aldric
“an old king”
>99% boys
Amer
“a prince” · “from the treetop”
>99% boys