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Boy · Germanic
Willem
Say it: VIL-um
Meaning
From Germanic wil 'will, desire' and helm 'helmet, protection'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
The name of Dutch princes and kings since the 16th century.
Its wave through time
Most used in the 2000s
In the United States
- 2,556 babies given this name since 1916
- At its height in 2003, about 1 in 16,200 boys
- 60 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- The Age of Revolutions1750 to 1837
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Wim
| French | Guillaume |
|---|---|
| English | William |
| German | Wilhelm |
Famous bearers
- Willem van Oranje (William the Silent)
- Willem-Alexander, king of the Netherlands
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Royal and noble genealogies
- Parish baptism registers
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.