girl's name
Wilma
WIL-muh
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 141,395
Scotland
#467
1983 births
Wilma means resolute protection, and The Flintstones did nothing for it. The show debuted in 1960 and the name was already falling — 1,100 births in 1955, 724 in 1960, and the decline continued at the same rate.
- Wilma is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1925, when 4,202 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 80,867 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Wilma over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 212 |
| 1890s | 1,109 |
| 1900s | 4,022 |
| 1910s | 21,491 |
| 1920s | 39,347 |
| 1930s | 33,422 |
| 1940s | 21,320 |
| 1950s | 12,321 |
| 1960s | 4,536 |
| 1970s | 1,239 |
| 1980s | 609 |
| 1990s | 418 |
| 2000s | 285 |
| 2010s | 300 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 224 |
What Wilma means
Wilma means resolute protection, or determined guardian. The Germanic joins a word for will or desire to one meaning a helmet, so the compound reads as protection driven by resolve.
Where Wilma comes from
Wilma is a short form of Wilhelmina, the feminine of Wilhelm — the Germanic wil, will or desire, joined to helm, a helmet or protection. The helm is literal: Germanic naming drew heavily on armour and weapons, and the same element ends Anselm and begins Helmut. Wilhelmina was queen of the Netherlands for fifty-eight years from 1890, which is why the name carries Dutch weight, and Wilma is the ordinary Dutch and German clipping of it.
Wilma in use
The Flintstones story fails on the curve. Wilma ran at 1,100 American births in 1955 and had already dropped to 724 by 1960, the year the show debuted, then continued down through 717, 582, 458 and 339 without any deflection. Our data marks it reviving now, from a low base — 2332nd in England and Wales on 12 births, 3647th in Canada, 3667th in the United States on 41 and 5908th in France, across 141,395 lifetime births. That makes it the fourth cartoon story in this dataset to fail the same test.
How popular is Wilma?
In 2025, Wilma was given to 41 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Wilma is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Wilma
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Wilma also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Wilma over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Wilma
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.
Wilma 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.
- Czech
- Vilma
- Dutch
- Wilhelmina
- Finnish
- Vilma
- Latvian
- Vilma
- Polish
- Wilhelmina
- Swedish
- Wilhelmina
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Willa
Sibling names for Wilma
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Wilma — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Wilma
What does the name Wilma mean?
Resolute protection — the Germanic wil, will, joined to helm, a helmet.
Is Wilma from The Flintstones?
No. The name was already falling when the show debuted in 1960 and kept falling at the same rate.
Is Wilma short for Wilhelmina?
Yes — the ordinary Dutch and German clipping.
Is Wilma coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, though from a very low base.
How popular is the name Wilma?
In 2025, Wilma was given to 41 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Wilma a girl's or a boy's name?
Wilma is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Wilma?
Wilma has 2 syllables.
When was Wilma most popular?
Wilma peaked in 1925, when 4,202 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Wilma?
Wilma is usually shortened to Willie.
Is Wilma a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Wilma currently ranks #2,332 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.