Boy · #2,848 in 2026

Willem

Name: Popularity of the name Willem in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Willem, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Willem is a Dutch and West Frisian masculine given name. The name is Germanic, and can be seen as the Dutch equivalent of the name William in English, Guillaume in French, Guilherme in Portuguese, Guillermo in Spanish and Wilhelm in German. Nicknames that are derived from Willem are Jelle, Pim, Willie, Willy and Wim.

Current Rank

#2,848

Peak Rank

#1,205 (2003)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-25%

1916

First Year

2026

Last Year

2003

Peak Year

#1205

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Willem

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Willem

Willem first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1916, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2003, when 122 Willems were born — ranking #1,205 that year. As of 2026, Willem ranks #2,848 for baby boys with 45 births, falling sharply (-25%). In total, more than 3K Willems have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Willem

Phonetically similar names — useful when Willem is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Willam
Willen
Wylam
Woolum
Willing
Willin
Whelan
Wellen
Wlan
Hilum
Wingham
William

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Willem

What does the name Willem mean?

How popular is Willem in 2026?

In 2026, Willem ranks #2,848 among boys' names in the U.S., with 45 babies given the name that year.

When was Willem most popular?

Willem reached its peak popularity in 2003, ranking #1,205 that year with 122 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Willem most popular?

Willem has historically been most popular in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Wisconsin. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Willem.

Is Willem a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Willem is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Willem?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Willem include Basilio, Gabino, Opie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Willem

Willem is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Willem's peak popularity came in 2003 when it ranked #1,205. Use the chart and map above to compare Willem's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.