boy's name
Guillaume
gee-YOHM
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 232,219
France
#971
2025 births
Guillaume is a boy's name meaning resolute protector, the French form of William — and the man who conquered England in 1066 bore this form of it, not the English one. It charts in one market.
- Guillaume is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1984, when 9,375 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 14,737 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Guillaume over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5,560 |
| 1910s | 3,790 |
| 1920s | 1,840 |
| 1930s | 1,175 |
| 1940s | 805 |
| 1950s | 1,090 |
| 1960s | 6,340 |
| 1970s | 42,060 |
| 1980s | 83,990 |
| 1990s | 56,495 |
| 2000s | 16,735 |
| 2010s | 2,695 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 405 |
What Guillaume means
Guillaume means resolute protector, or will-helmet. The Germanic joins a word for will or desire to one meaning a helmet, so the sense is determined defense.
Where Guillaume comes from
Guillaume is the French form of the Germanic Willahelm — wil, will or desire, joined to helm, a helmet and by extension protection. The Norman duke who took England in 1066 was Guillaume le Conquérant; English renamed him William, and the name he carried became the most common male name in England for five centuries. So the English form exists because the French one won a battle. Guillaume Apollinaire, who coined the word surrealism, is its most consequential modern bearer.
Guillaume in use
Guillaume peaked in France in 1984, when 9,375 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 971st in France on 40 births, across 232,219 lifetime births. Its English form William, by contrast, is among the most widely used names in the world — an unusually large gap between two forms of one name.
How popular is Guillaume?
In 2025, Guillaume was given to 40 babies in France, ranking #971 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Guillaume is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Guillaume
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Guillaume also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Guillaume over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Guillaume
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Guillaume in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Guillaume
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Guillaume — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Guillaume
What does the name Guillaume mean?
Resolute protector — the Germanic wil, will, joined to helm, a helmet.
Is Guillaume the same as William?
Yes. The Conqueror was Guillaume; English renamed him William, and the English form exists because the French one won.
Is Guy short for Guillaume?
It is used that way in French, though Guy is also a separate Germanic name.
How popular is Guillaume?
971st in France, the only market where it charts.
Is Guillaume a girl's or a boy's name?
Guillaume is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Guillaume?
Guillaume has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Guillaume?
Guillaume is usually shortened to Guy.
Is Guillaume a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Guillaume currently ranks #971 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.