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Wilma as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Wilma

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The baby name Wilma is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈwɪlmə/ (WIL-muh).

Wilma is Germanic in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Germanic
Pronunciation: /ˈwɪlmə/ (WIL-muh)

What is the meaning of the name Wilma ?

The baby name Wilma is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈwɪlmə/ (WIL-muh).

Wilma is Germanic in Origin.

Wilma is the concise feminine form of Wilhelmina, itself from the Germanic Wilhelm (wil “will, desire” + helm “helmet, protection”), yielding the meaning “resolute protector.” It developed as an independent given name in German- and Dutch-speaking regions and spread to English and the Nordic languages in the late 19th century.

It enjoyed early-20th-century favor in the United States and Britain, then faded mid-century; the cartoon character Wilma Flintstone kept the name familiar. Contemporary revivals have occurred in parts of Europe, especially Scandinavia, where Wilma/Vilma has ranked highly in recent decades. Variants and cognates include Wilhelmina, Wilhelmine, Vilhelmina, and Vilma (common in Spanish, Italian, Slavic, and Finnish usage), with related diminutives Mina, Minnie, and Willie; Willa is a stylistically modern cousin from the same root. The name blends sturdy heritage with a friendly, vintage sound.

Wilma has the following similar or variant Names

Wilma – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2025 #1 411
Ireland Girls 1974 #1 494
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
NL Girls 0 #19 8,406 5,933
Sweden Girls 2022 #20 356 1,568
NA 0 #31 3 2,537
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
HN Girls 0 #38 1 884
PR 0 #52 4 1,497
AO 0 #75 3 2,729
Norway Girls 2025 #82 49 453
PH 0 #84 13 5,607
RS 0 #84 1 923
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
BO Girls 0 #89 2,129 9,488
JM 0 #91 3 3,714
AF Girls 0 #94 1 2,402
NL 0 #99 425 2,481
ID Girls 0 #101 2 3,319
QA 0 #103 4 7,011
PR Girls 0 #105 58 3,171
BN Girls 0 #111 4 5,459
NA Girls 0 #113 118 7,146
KW 0 #116 6 5,216
EC 0 #119 3 2,502
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
CY Girls 0 #122 4 3,755
Switzerland Girls 2024 #131 5 1,786
AO Girls 0 #131 83 4,575
GR 0 #135 1 3,911
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
PA 0 #137 2 3,797
BN Boys 0 #139 1 6,332
PH Girls 0 #147 298 13,098
MT Girls 0 #150 4 3,773
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
LU Girls 0 #176 10 4,850
PR Boys 0 #178 1 2,508
AE 0 #179 9 10,220
Finland Girls 0 #192 290 1,368
LT Girls 0 #197 4 1,904
DK 0 #204 3 5,198
EC Girls 0 #207 33 3,650
Finland Girls 2026 #211 1,960 3,895
BO 0 #212 184 6,868
AL Girls 0 #223 5 4,141
HU Girls 0 #225 1 3,308
MO Girls 0 #225 27 7,056
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
QA Girls 0 #228 89 15,378
BG Girls 0 #230 2 3,559
JP Girls 0 #235 11 6,592
PT 0 #247 4 4,161
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
GR Girls 0 #248 2 6,293
JM Girls 0 #250 10 7,507
NA Boys 0 #252 2 6,830
Finland 0 #262 46 830
ZA Girls 0 #262 2,371 25,928
KW Girls 0 #267 263 19,177
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
SG 0 #275 8 11,010
Canada Girls 2024 #281 5 2,795
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
SA 0 #281 15 10,560
TW Girls 0 #281 9 8,139
HR Girls 0 #292 3 3,687
ZA 0 #295 153 14,421
Austria Girls 0 #297 128 1,885
PE 0 #300 11 6,350
DK Girls 0 #307 10 7,429
OM Girls 0 #311 86 15,987
BR 0 #319 27 5,969
GH Girls 0 #332 6 6,973
JO Girls 0 #332 8 7,570
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
MU Girls 0 #342 10 8,539
MY 0 #346 9 12,352
CZ Girls 0 #348 4 5,378
CN Girls 0 #352 8 8,829
HK 0 #353 5 8,483
SD Girls 0 #353 6 7,678
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
AE Girls 0 #376 178 20,968
BR Girls 0 #376 993 12,708
CL 0 #386 26 6,867
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
CL Girls 0 #399 618 14,098
France Girls 2021 #400 6 3,185
UY Girls 0 #400 113 6,731
PT Girls 0 #401 51 7,952
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
PH Boys 0 #406 3 11,440
UY Boys 0 #409 5 5,922
Germany 0 #412 26 2,542
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
IT Girls 0 #412 2,557 9,415
SG Girls 0 #435 153 18,916
Spain 0 #441 12 2,326
MX 0 #443 3 8,339
Germany Girls 0 #444 504 4,949
PA Girls 0 #461 21 9,861
CO 0 #468 13 7,768
BH 0 #472 82 17,937
HK Girls 0 #476 140 16,104
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
PS Girls 0 #488 36 10,981
GT Girls 0 #490 16 7,500
GT Boys 0 #497 3 7,625
PA Boys 0 #505 1 9,305
AR Girls 0 #506 94 8,289
CR Boys 0 #510 1 10,188
CR Girls 0 #516 17 11,342
RU Girls 0 #517 7 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #525 1 11,303
CM Girls 0 #529 12 11,671
SA Girls 0 #541 420 25,931
IR Girls 0 #543 3 8,334
PE Girls 0 #546 494 14,861
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
LY 0 #557 3 12,703
BO Boys 0 #562 31 9,244
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
IL Girls 0 #598 20 11,648
IT 0 #607 108 4,183
LB 0 #638 21 13,263
IN Girls 0 #647 8 13,121
CL Boys 0 #650 16 13,390
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
Spain Girls 0 #705 292 5,561
SG Boys 0 #737 3 17,960
BR Boys 0 #741 11 12,213
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
NG Girls 0 #775 12 15,093
KW Boys 0 #804 3 18,755
MY Girls 0 #862 133 24,821
TN 0 #864 2 13,765
PE Boys 0 #868 11 14,506
United States Girls 2024 #881 36 8,487
CO Boys 0 #888 33 15,656
MX Girls 0 #898 296 17,781
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
NL Boys 0 #930 22 5,873
CO Girls 0 #971 108 16,140
NG Boys 0 #1,001 1 16,906
EG Girls 0 #1,002 8 14,742
MX Boys 0 #1,027 7 16,355
AE Boys 0 #1,138 6 22,615
ZA Boys 0 #1,152 27 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,175 8 25,439
MA 0 #1,197 3 20,986
DZ 0 #1,231 4 20,130
TR 0 #1,246 9 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,454 18 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,591 24 28,008

Wilma is popular in 85 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Sweden
United States
Switzerland

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People also ask about Wilma

Wilma is predominantly a girl's name.
Wilma is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈwɪlmə/ (WIL-muh).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Wilhelmina, Wilhelmine, Vilma, Vilhelmina, Willma and Wilmette.
Across languages, Wilma has these equivalents: Wilhelm (German), William (English), Guillaume (French), Guillermo (Spanish), Guglielmo (Italian), and 2 more.
Yes, very popular — Wilma ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Wilma ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Wilma's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #416 in 2011 to #400 in 2021 in France.