Meaning of the nameWilma
- Female
- Germanic origin
- Wil-ma
Wilma is a feminine name of Germanic origin, a short form of Wilhelmina, the feminine of Wilhelm, a name formed from "will" and "helmet".
Meaning
“short form of Wilhelmina, feminine of Wilhelm, "will" + "helmet, protection"”
Source: Behind the Name: Wilhelmina · Behind the Name: William
- People (2022)
- 24,097
- Rank in Brazil
- #939
- Median age
- 58 years
- 2010 Census
- 25,361
- people
Wilma in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Wilma, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1960s (4,724 people).
23,938 women 159 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Wilma is most common
States with the highest share of people named Wilma in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Pernambuco 0.028%
- Alagoas 0.023%
- Paraíba 0.023%
- Goiás 0.020%
- Sergipe 0.019%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 5,926 | 0.013% |
| Pernambuco | 2,577 | 0.028% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 2,566 | 0.016% |
| Minas Gerais | 2,426 | 0.012% |
| Goiás | 1,436 | 0.020% |
| Bahia | 1,327 | 0.009% |
| Paraná | 919 | 0.008% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 906 | 0.008% |
| Paraíba | 896 | 0.023% |
| Alagoas | 707 | 0.023% |
| Pará | 592 | 0.007% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 577 | 0.018% |
| Santa Catarina | 481 | 0.006% |
| Sergipe | 421 | 0.019% |
| Maranhão | 386 | 0.006% |
| Distrito Federal | 363 | 0.013% |
| Mato Grosso | 301 | 0.008% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 237 | 0.009% |
| Ceará | 223 | 0.003% |
| Tocantins | 208 | 0.014% |
| Espírito Santo | 199 | 0.005% |
| Amazonas | 140 | 0.004% |
| Piauí | 109 | 0.003% |
| Rondônia | 88 | 0.006% |
| Amapá | 48 | 0.007% |
| Roraima | 24 | 0.004% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Wilma
Behind the Name describes Wilma as a short form of Wilhelmina, which is the Dutch and German feminine of Wilhelm, and Wiktionary calls it a contraction of Wilhelmina. Wilhelm, according to Behind the Name, joins the Germanic elements willo, "will, desire", and helm, "helmet, protection"; the meaning of Wilma is that of this base name. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 24,097 people named Wilma, with a median age of 58. The name had the most records among those born in the 1950s and 1960s; proportionally, it is most common in Pernambuco, and it is almost always female. The Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil records Wylma as a spelling variant, and the Morfemário explains that the variable pronunciation of Wil- leads to spellings with Uil-, such as Uilma.
Spelling with an initial W, the most common in the group and the one used by Behind the Name and Wiktionary.
Other spellings of Wilma
| Spelling | People (2022) |
|---|---|
| Wilma | 24,097 |
| Uilma | 1,932 |
Sources
- Behind the Name: Wilma · behindthename.com · origin
- Wiktionary: Wilma · en.wiktionary.org · origin
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Morfemário (Wil-, Wili-) · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · spelling
- Behind the Name: Wilhelmina · behindthename.com · meaning
- Behind the Name: William · behindthename.com · meaning
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Wilma · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · spelling
- Dicionário de Nomes em Uso no Brasil: Uilma · dicionariodenomesdobrasil.com.br · spelling
Questions about the name Wilma
What does the name Wilma mean?
Wilma means “short form of Wilhelmina, feminine of Wilhelm, "will" + "helmet, protection"”, according to Behind the Name.
How many people are named Wilma in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 24,097 people with the first name Wilma, which ranks it number 939 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1960s.
Is Wilma a boy's or a girl's name?
Wilma is a female name: in the 2022 Census, 23,938 women and 159 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Wilma?
Wilma is a name of Germanic origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Wilma most common?
Proportionally, in Pernambuco: 0.028% of the state's population is named Wilma (2,577 people), according to the 2022 Census.
What are the other spellings of Wilma?
Uilma. IBGE counts each spelling separately.
Names that also mean protection
See all- Sandra♀Short form of Alessandra, feminine of Alexandre: 'defender of men'447,906 people
- Raimunda♀Feminine form of Raimundo, 'counsel' and 'protection'239,817 people
- Alessandra♀Italian form of Alexandra, 'defender of men'236,803 people
- Vilma♀Form of Wilma, from Wilhelmina, feminine of Wilhelm124,601 people
- Alexandra♀Feminine form of Alexandre, 'defender of men'90,519 people
- Alexia♀Feminine form of Alexis, 'helper, defender'33,124 people
- Socorro♀Help, aid15,341 people
- Alexandrina♀Elaborated form of Alexandra, feminine of Alexander, 'defender of men'6,742 people
More names of Germanic origin
See all- Fernanda♀Feminine form of Fernando, from Gothic 'peace' (or 'journey') and…523,152 people
- Alice♀From Adalheid, with Germanic elements glossed as 'noble' and 'kind,…488,951 people
- Bruna♀Feminine form of Bruno, from Germanic brunna, 'armor, protection',…466,413 people
- Carla♀Feminine form of Carlos, from Germanic Karl, from a word meaning 'man'303,790 people
- Luiza♀Feminine form of Luís, 'famous in battle'290,525 people
- Érica♀Feminine form of Eric, 'eternal ruler'201,183 people
- Caroline♀Feminine form of Carolus (Carlos), from Germanic Karl, from a word…195,454 people
- Eduarda♀Feminine form of Eduardo, 'wealthy guard'181,846 people
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