I love this name so much, not just because of its cool meaning and history, but also because of all the potential nicknames. A Wilhelmina could be Minnie, Mina, Mimi, Willie, Billie, Helmi, Wilma, Willa, ect, or just Wilhelmina because it's a great name!
I would definitely consider Wilhelmina if I ever have a daughter, to me it sounds regal, whimsical, fairy tale like (probably because of Wilhelm Grimm) and so grand! Billie is my favorite nickname, especially for a toddler, Minnie, Willa and Wilma I also love. I think this name needs more recognition but I also don’t- because I don’t want it to become trendy or overused!
I love both Wilhelmine and Wilhelmina. Who cares if they're long and dated? There are so many nicknames for both names, like Helmi and Mimi. Even Mina for the latter.Plus, stop changing the usage without reason.
Boy do I love this name! I used to see it as extremely clunky when I was younger, but the last couple of years I've been chronically swooning over it. I like most variations of William (Will, Willie, Bill, Billy, Liam's kinda nice if it wasn't so popular, the Welsh Gwilym and Gwil, the Germanic and Polish Wilhelm, the Dutch Willem, and the name William itself, and some others probably). And I think it's directly from there that I've started to love Wilhelmina so much. I'd love love love to use either Wilhelm or Wilhelmina on a child, but I'm not sure whether in the end I'd be brave enough, because they're both so extremely rare here and no one else seems to like them, and they seem to be perceived as very harsh and, well, clunky. On one side I get it because I used to be in that camp too, especially when it comes to Wilhelmina, but on the other it's weird because there are no harsh-sounding letters in it. I think Wilhelmina is quite paradoxical because it has this almost fluid sound, all the I's and L's make it look very feminine, yet it has SO much strength in it from somewhere. Perhaps it's the meaning. I love its meaning too, by the way. Here it's so rare that I don't even know anyone with this name, and I'd love to. I don't even know why it's considered as elderly and dated as it is because it's not like you can bump into an elderly lady Wilhelmina at every corner. I think probably the best thing about this name is the HUGE nickname potential. I love Billie to bits, and also the Finnish Helmi, Wilma, Willie, Mina/Minnie, Mila, Mimi, Elma, in Polish she could be Minka or Misia, the English Willa is quite nice too. But I think Billie and Helmi are my favourites. I like this name because it's so long and elaborate (I tend to like long names), classic and vintage yet uncommon, both strong and soft at the same time, like I said has huge nickname potential, has a great meaning, plenty of history in many countries, is royal, makes me think of the Netherlands and the Dutch language which I like a lot and plan to learn. The variant Vilhelmina or Vilhelmiina is also cool. What I really dislike though is the way it's pronounced in English. Ugh, it's so wishy-washy, and also problematic, because it seems to get misspelled in English all the time. And I don't like all the alternative spellings like Willamina, Willamena etc. Not fun imo.
I think this name is a beautiful and strong name for a girl! In Germany, this name would be pronounced VIL-HEHL-MEE-NA I personally prefer the German pronunciation as this name is a feminine version of VILHELM.
Okay, apparently this is one of those really old and common for old woman names - but I had never heard of it before I read Ghosts of the Shadow Market, by Cassandra Clare. I've never heard of anyone named any feminine form of William except for the name Billie. I also had no clue how to pronounce this name. I looked it up, and it's pronounced like Will - ah - mee - nuh. I love it! I love the name Willa, and the name Mina, but can't see it in the spelling at all. Willamina, Willemina, or Wilamina are the spellings to go for with this name. I like Wilamina best because it seems the easiest to pronounce in romance languages. Also, I despise extra l's crowding up a name (Hilary, not Hillary, Lily, not Lilly, Hila, not Hilla... the list goes on). The nicknames I know of after researching this name, because I became interested, are Willa/Wila and Mina. Both are nice. I also think Mila (Mee - lah) would be an adorable nickname.
My great grandmother's name was Kathrina Wilhelmina and she came to America in 1873 from Germany. Her son, my Grandpa told me when I was a young girl that his beloved mother was very sweet. I have one picture of her as an old woman and she was very tiny with a big smile. I think of that big name on a tiny little girl/woman and I smile. Love the name.
― Anonymous User 8/10/2019
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Who cares if it's long, I love long names!
― Anonymous User 4/11/2019
8
I personally find this name to be extremely ugly and harsh.
I think a lot of people here are selling this name short. It has so many possibilities for nicknames, and it's both substantial and feminine. It has a great vintage charm. I think Wilhelmina has a lot to recommend it. I wish people would resurrect some of these venerable older names rather than making up silly nonsense like Nevaeh and another spelling of Cèilidh the world doesn't need.
― Anonymous User 9/27/2018
15
I first came across this name when I read Bram Stoker's Dracula, as the female lead is called Wilhelmina (known as Mina) played by Winona Ryder in the movie. It struck me as sounding very beautiful, antiquated and substantial. But the spelling can be off putting I think, because of the way the English pronounce it Willa-Meena. Looking at it, how do you ignore the hel and get an ah sound? It just seems odd. An alternative spelling I found is Willamina, but this has the danger of becoming Wil-lamb-mina. It just seems too complex, unless you like complex, in which case, it's perfect. But for me, I find it a bit much. I think it sounds nicer than it looks.
― Anonymous User 3/4/2018
2
Often Wilhelmina is pronounced Wi-la-MI-na in the United States. I think it's a nice name. Willa is a cute nickname :)
My grandmother's name was Wilhelmina and they called her Minnie for short. She was German. I love this name and if I had a daughter it would be a name I would consider. Beautiful & strong.
― Anonymous User 2/13/2016
3
I find this name clunky and unattractive. To honour a William in naming a daughter, I'd like to suggest the name Wilmot - it's given on this site as a medieval masculine name but in England, especially in the West Country including Devon and Cornwall, it was heavily if not exclusively used for girls until well into modern times. I think it's worthy of consideration as a girl's version of William, especially in middle name spot.
I think this name is strong and elegant and has plenty of cute nicknames.I really do love this name but I'm not sure my love of the name would be shared by everyone else.
― Anonymous User 1/21/2012
3
Wilhelmina is so pretty. Nicknames Willa, Willow, Mina, Minka and Minnie.
My mind goes blank just looking at the name. Hard to decide on its pronunciation. Very odd, very weird, very unpleasant name. What are the shorter versions? "Wil", or "Mina"? Whatever else you make out of it is stupid sounding and ugly.