nametree
← Willybrowse · build a nametreeWilman →

Wilma

girl name
Origin
German
Syllables
2
Peak era
1910s/1930s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Wilma and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

short form of Wilhelmina ("will helmet"); brought to America by German settlers in the 19th century

Famously borne by Wilma Mankiller, the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Famously borne by Wilma Rudolph.

The story

Read the story of Wilhelmina →

More names with stories →

The formal names behind Wilma

Wilma is an established short form of this name.

Wilhelmina · Germanic origin · Dutch and German feminine form of Wilhelm ("will helmet")

Why we verify every short-form relationship →

How popular is Wilma around the world?

In the United States, 224 babies were named Wilma between 2020 and 2025. In Norway, 49 girls were given the name Wilma in 2025.

Wilma is on the official records of the United States, Norway, Austria, Brazil, England and Wales, Canada, Spain and Chile.

United States

1 in 97,000

In the United States, 224 babies were named Wilma between 2020 and 2025.

peak 1910s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Wilma peaked in the 1910s and the 1930s in nearly equal measure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Norway

1 in 540 · register 2026

In Norway, 49 girls were given the name Wilma in 2025.

1990peak 2024

share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

See the full list for Norway →

Austria

1 in 3,200

In Austria, 24 girls named Wilma were born in 2025, the 249th most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

1984peak 2025

share of that year’s births on record

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

See the full list for Austria →

Brazil

1 in 8,400

At the 2022 census, 24,097 people in Brazil were named Wilma, the 939th most common name, with a median age of 58.
Among people named Wilma living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.

1930speak 1960s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 27 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

See the full list for Brazil →

England and Wales

1 in 49,000

In England and Wales, 12 girls named Wilma were born in 2025, ranked 2,278th among girls that year.

1996peak 2025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

Canada

1 in 73,000

In Canada, 5 girls named Wilma were born in 2024, ranked 3,457th among girls that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

See the full list for Canada →

Spain

1 in 79,000

In Spain, 565 residents are named Wilma, ranked 2,097th among women, with a mean age of 50.7 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

See the full list for Spain →

Chile

1 in 180,000

In Chile, 1 girl was registered as Wilma in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 19572021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

See the full list for Chile →

Argentina

last on record 2017

Wilma is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

See the full list for Argentina →

Ireland

last on record 1974

Wilma is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

See the full list for Ireland →

Mexico City City

last on record 2017

Wilma is not on the 2022 record for Mexico City, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

See the full list for Mexico City →

Montevideo City

last on record 1998

Wilma is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

See the full list for Montevideo →

New Zealand

last on record 1962

Wilma is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

peak 19302025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

See the full list for New Zealand →

Scotland

last on record 1983

Wilma is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.

peak 19772024

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

See the full list for Scotland →

South Australia

last on record 2014

Wilma is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

See the full list for South Australia →

Not on the record in Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.

Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Wilma

Most people given the name Wilma in the United States were born between 1940 and 1959. The Wilma you meet today is most often in her 70s or 80s.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Wilma

Ida Greta Wilhelmine Teresa Johanna Marguerite

Keep exploring

German baby names · Names of revolutionaries and liberators · Names of sports stars

Name trails: explore connections from Wilma →

The Wilma deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Wilma truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Wilma fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

Does Wilma fit YOUR family?

nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.

Add Wilma to your family’s tree →
BROWSEAll traditions👶 Baby namesAround the worldAll names🔍 Search a nameName storiesThree-letter namesShort namesVintage revivalsGender-neutralPolishJapaneseCantoneseIrishKoreanIndianMexican American
🌐English ✓EspañolPortuguês
nametree on your phoneDownload on the App StoreGet it on Google Play