Wilma
Wilma was the 3705th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 41 babies. Its best year was 1925, when it ranked 62nd with 4,175 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 778 places. More babies were named Wilma in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Wilhelmina · German, Germanic
Say it WIL-muh /ˈwɪlmə/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,705 girls, up 133 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 41girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19254,175 babies
- Total since 1880
- 140,855babies recorded
What does the name Wilma mean?
Wilma is a contraction of Wilhelmina, as Wiktionary notes, the feminine of German Wilhelm (William). William is a Germanic name from wil 'will, desire' and helm 'helmet, protection'. Wilma was popular in the US in the 1920s; Wilma Flintstone of The Flintstones (1960) and the Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph are well-known bearers.
wil (Old High German, “will, desire”)helm (Old High German, “helmet, protection”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Wilhelmina, Willa, Minnie, William.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean protector.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Wilma', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'William', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Wilma
The usual nicknames for Wilma are Willie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willie · also for William, Will | Traditional | #10,870 | 31 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Wilmas go by each one.
Wilma popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 754 since 1908.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,705 | 41 |
| 2020 | #3,838 | 38 |
| 2010 | #5,100 | 28 |
| 2000 | #3,975 | 32 |
| 1990 | #2,200 | 59 |
| 1980 | #1,517 | 79 |
| 1970 | #735 | 202 |
| 1960 | #362 | 724 |
| 1950 | #171 | 1,655 |
| 1940 | #93 | 2,621 |
| 1930 | #68 | 4,075 |
| 1920 | #78 | 3,670 |
| 1910 | #119 | 698 |
| 1900 | #187 | 285 |
| 1890 | #316 | 64 |
| 1880 | #942 | 5 |
How popular is Wilma, counting every spelling?
Wilma has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Wilma?
41 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Wilma (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Wilma born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 204 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Wilma.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Wilma?
About 35,500 people born in the US named Wilma are alive today, with a median age of 78; half are between 69 and 85. That makes Wilma a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Wilma by state
How common Wilma was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Wilma: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Wilma, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Wilma · Sibling names for Wilma
Questions about the name Wilma
What does Wilma mean?
Wilma means “short form of Wilhelmina” (German, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Wilma?
Wilma was the 3705th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 41 babies. Its best year was 1925, when it ranked 62nd with 4,175 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 778 places. More babies were named Wilma in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Wilma a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Wilma in the US.
Where is Wilma most popular?
In 2021–2025, Wilma was most common in Ohio (0.04 per 1,000 girls), followed by Michigan and Michigan.