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Home › Baby Names Directory › Wilmer

Wilmer

♂ Boy

Pronounced WIHL-muhr /ˈwɪl.məɹ/Medium

Meaning: Will helmetMedium

In 30 seconds: Wilmer is an Old English boy's name meaning 'will helmet', joining 'will' to a word for protection. It has a sturdy, old-Germanic backbone and several Nordic variants.
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Origin MediumOld English, Spanish, English
MeaningWill helmet
U.S. rank (2025)#1742 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births94 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1920
Total births (all-time)≈ 15,977

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192018802025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Wilmer comes from Old English, formed from elements meaning 'will' and 'helmet', so it reads roughly as 'will helmet' — resolve paired with protection. It belongs to the broad family of two-part Germanic names. Variants Wilmar, Vilmer, and Vilmar show how it traveled into Scandinavian use.

Actor Wilmer Valderrama has done much to keep the name recognizable in the United States. The V-spellings Vilmer and Vilmar point to its steady popularity across the Nordic countries.

Did you know? Wilmer likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Wilmer — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

WilmarVilmerVilmar

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Wilmer Valderrama (1980–present)
    Male public figure listed on Behind the Name.

If you like Wilmer…

Winter— shares Wilmer's English roots
Walter— shares Wilmer's English roots
Wheeler— shares the -er ending
Weller— a fellow English choice
Turner— a similarly popular pick

Explore names like Wilmer

By themeenglishsurname-styleold-english

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Wilmer mean?

Wilmer is usually explained as meaning 'will helmet' and is most often linked with Old English tradition.

How do you pronounce Wilmer?

It's commonly said WIHL-muhr /ˈwɪl.məɹ/.

Is Wilmer a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Wilmer is used as a boy name.

How popular is Wilmer?

In 2024, Wilmer ranked #1845 in the U.S. for boys, with 88 births recorded.

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