Given name & surname
Willem
“one who is precise”·“will”·“desire”
In Dutch use, Willem has a related form in Pim. One Dutch interpretation is “one who is precise.” Willem 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 Dutch use, Willem has a related form in Pim. One Dutch interpretation is “one who is precise.” Willem 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.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Dutch use, Willem has a related form in Pim. An origin associated with Pim is Dutch. Willem is a 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
Willem 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.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Willem 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
Willem through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,840
- 2,840 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2003
- 122 babies
- 2025
- 51
- #2,601 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −13%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 51 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,601 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 122 in 2003. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,279 as a first name in 2020; 237 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.
Willem’s family of names
In Dutch usage, Willem has a short form in Wim. Willem shares a linguistic root with William. In Dutch usage, Willem has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Guillermo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Willem has relatives in 10 languages.
16 related names in 10 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 26
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- GuillermoSpanish
- Willequivalent
- BillEnglish
- Wiliamequivalent
- GuilhermePortuguese
- Willamequivalent
- Wilhemequivalent
- GuillaumeFrench
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Willeequivalent
- Gwilymequivalent
- Vilhelmoequivalent
- Guillemequivalent
- Vilhelmequivalent
- Willhelmequivalent
- Guillénequivalent
- Vilmosequivalent
- Gwilhermequivalent
- Willemsen“son of” surname · Dutch
- ΓουλιέλμοςGreek
- GuilhermoPortuguese
- GuglielmoItalian
- VilémCzech
- Viljemequivalent
- Gulielmusequivalent
- WöllemLimburgish
- GuillaumetteFrench
People named Willem
- Willem-Alexander of the NetherlandsKing of the Netherlands (born 1967)
- Willem DafoeAmerican actor (1955-)
- William the SilentDutch statesman and revolt leader (1533-1584)
- Willem BarentszDutch navigator, cartographer, and Arctic explorer (1550–1597)
- Willem EinthovenDutch physiologist1860–1927
- William I of the NetherlandsKing of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg 1815-1840 (1772-1843)
- William II of the NetherlandsKing of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1840 to 1849 (1792-1849)
- Willem DreesDutch politician (1886–1988)
- William III of the NetherlandsKing of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1817-1890)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Willem, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“a prince” · “from the treetop”
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“from the queen's town or settlement”
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“the king's advisor”
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“an emperor; having a full head of hair”
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“the ruler of the estate”
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“under the king's rule”
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