Save Gender Feminine & Masculine Usage English (American, Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare) Pronounced Pron. WIL-ə(American English) [key] Meaning & History In the United States, this name is a variant spelling of the feminine name Willa.In Brazil, this name is a unisex name that is most likely a short form of given names starting with Wil-, Wyl- and perhaps even Guil- (such as Guilherme).