Given name & surname
Willa
“will”·“desire”·“helmet”
In English use, Willa is a feminine form of William. William’s elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination. Willa is a variant of Wilhelmina. In German use, Wilhelmina carries the interpretation “determined protector.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Willa is a feminine form of William. William’s elements mean “will” or “desire” and “helmet” or “protection.” “Determined protector” is a natural interpretation of that combination. Willa is a variant of Wilhelmina. In German use, Wilhelmina carries the interpretation “determined protector.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Willa is a feminine form 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 English use, Willa is used as a feminine counterpart of William. In English use, Willa is a feminine 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 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Willa is a feminine 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
Willa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 32,848
- 24 boys · 32,824 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 889 babies
- 2025
- 742
- #422 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 742 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 422 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 2.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 889 in 2019. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (56). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 14,808 as a first name in 2020; 119 as a surname in 2000.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Willa’s family of names
Willa is a feminine form of William. Willa has a related form in Wilhelmina. In German usage, Willa has a related form in WILLIA.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Willa
- Willa CatherAmerican writer (1873–1947)
- Willa HollandAmerican actressborn 1991
- Willa FitzgeraldAmerican actress (born 1991)
- Willa FordAmerican actor, model, singer, composer, dancer and musicianborn 1981
- Guilla of ProvenceEarly medieval Frankish queen873
- Willa BrownAmerican pilot and aviation educator (1906-1992)
- Willa of TuscanyCountess of Ivrea (911/912–970)
- Willa Blake EslickAmerican politician (1878-1961)
- Willa Pearl Curtisactress (1896–1970)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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