The first name Willem
A boy’s name.
2 syllables Male
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 6 boys were named Willem, making it the 3,256th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2008, with 34 births (#818).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Willem with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Willem at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 51 boys born in the United States were named Willem, the 2,601st most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2003, when 122 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Willem
179 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Willem BarentsDutch navigator, cartographer, and Arctic explorer (1550–1597)
- Willem EinthovenDutch physiologist, 1860–1927
- Willem DreesDutch politician (1886–1988)
- Willem de KooningDutch-American abstract expressionist artist (1904–1997)
- Willem de SitterDutch cosmologist (*1872 – †1934)
- Willem JanszoonDutch navigator and colonial governor (c.1570–c.1630)
- Willem SchoutenDutch explorer, 1567–1625
- Willem van HanegemDutch footballer, born 1944
- Willem Frederik HermansDutch writer (1921–1995)
- Willem MengelbergDutch conductor (1871-1951)
- Willem van de Velde the YoungerDutch painter (1633-1707)
- Willem ElsschotFlemish writer (1882–1960)
Questions
- How popular is the name Willem?
- In 2025, 6 boys born in England and Wales were named Willem, ranking 3,256th. Its peak was 2008, with 34 births.
- Is Willem a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 2,840 US babies named Willem since 1880 were boys.
- When was Willem most popular?
- 2003 in the United States, when 122 babies were named Willem, its highest rank at 1,208th.