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Willia
How to Pronounce Willia
Pronounced WIL-ee-uh /ΛwΙͺl.i.Ι/Medium
Meaning: Willia is a feminine coinage from William, itself Germanic wil, 'will, desire,' plus helm, 'helmet, protection' β 'resolute protector.' Like Willie and Wilma, it feminizes the popular boys' name, a common practice in the American South around 1900.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880βpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Willia is a feminization of William, whose Germanic roots wil and helm combine as 'resolute protector.' In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, especially in the South, families routinely made girls' names from popular boys' names, and Willia sits alongside Willie and Wilma in that tradition.
The name crested in the late 1920s and had faded by the early 1980s, giving it a great-grandmother feel. It has not joined the modern revival of Willa, a sleeker cousin now in fashion; Willia itself reads as a distinctly early-century Southern form.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Willia mean?
Willia is a feminine form of William, meaning 'resolute protector.'
How do you pronounce Willia?
It's said WIL-ee-uh /ΛwΙͺl.i.Ι/ β three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Willia a boy or girl name?
Willia is used as a girl's name, as a feminine form of William.
How popular is Willia?
Willia was an early-twentieth-century Southern name that has been rare since mid-century.