Given name & surname
Willibald
“will, desire”·“bold”
Willibald is a masculine given name from Proto-West Germanic. It is used in Old English and Old High German.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Willibald is built from elements meaning “will, desire” and “bold”.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
Its Germanic formation brings together wil (“will, desire”) and bald (“bold, brave”).
The story
First recorded in 8th C. <small class='ce-date'>CE</small>.
Willibald’s family of names
In Old High German usage, Willibald shares a linguistic root with the Old English form Willibeald. In Old High German usage, Willibald has a related form in Uillipold. In Old High German usage, Willibald has a related form in Uuillipald.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Willibald has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
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 Willibald
- Willibald AlexisGerman historical novelist (1798–1871)
- Willibald8th century bishop and saint700–786
- Willibald SchmausAustrian and German footballer (1912-1979)
- Willibald KreßGerman footballer (1906-1989)
- Willibald PirckheimerGerman humanist (1470-1530)
- Willi BoskovskyAustrian musician (1909–1991)
- Willibald von Langermann und ErlencampGerman World War II general (1890–1942)
- Willibald BorowietzGerman General and Knight's Cross recipient (1893-1945)
- Willibald HahnAustrian football player and coach (1910–1999)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Willibald, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Willihelm
“will (n.)” · “helmet”
>99% boys
Widukind
Widukind is a masculine given name from Old Saxon. It is used in German.
>99% boys
Wilielmus
Wilielmus is a masculine given name from Proto-West Germanic, ultimately from Proto-Germanic. It is used in Latin.
>99% boys
Wulfheard
“wolf” · “hard, brave”
>99% boys
Diotbald
“people, tribe” · “bold, brave”
>99% boys
Heribald
“army” · “bold, brave”
>99% boys
Wilberht
“will, desire” · “bright”
>99% boys
Liutpald
“man, people” · “bold, brave”
>99% boys