How common is the surname Wilhelm?

19,913 people in the United States had the surname Wilhelm in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 15,505 Americans. It ranked 1,802nd of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Wilhelm?

In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named Wilhelm identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

Who is the most famous person named Wilhelm?

Kate Wilhelm, American science fiction writer (1928-2018), followed by Hoyt Wilhelm.

Where is the surname Wilhelm most common?

Wikidata records people named Wilhelm in the United States.

Is the surname Wilhelm getting more or less common?

More common. 19,664 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 19,913 in 2010, up 1.3%.

Is Wilhelm also a first name?

Yes. Wilhelm is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Wilhelm

A German surname, carried by 19,913 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex W445 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Wilhelm is more common than 98.9% of them.

Origin

German origin

Borrowed from German Wilhelm. Doublet of William.

One of 1,101 German surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 19,913 people named Wilhelm in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 15,505 Americans. That is up 1.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 19,664.

#1,802

rank among US surnames

19,913

people in 2010

6.8

per 100,000 Americans

+1.3%

change since 2000 (was #1,666)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,793	Washburn	20,030	15,414
#1,794	Farr	20,011	15,429
#1,795	Melvin	20,008	15,431
#1,796	Cullen	20,000	15,437
#1,797	Hu	19,999	15,438
#1,798	McCollum	19,990	15,445
#1,799	Betts	19,983	15,450

Who is named Wilhelm

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

95% of people named Wilhelm identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.7% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 95%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Two or more races 1.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.8%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Wilhelms

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Kate Wilhelm
American science fiction writer (1928-2018)
Hoyt Wilhelm
American baseball player, 1922–2002

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Wilham

Surnames that sound like Wilhelm

Wilhelmi

Wilhelm has the Soundex code W445, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code W445.

Other German surnames

All 1,101 German surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Wilhelm come from?: Borrowed from German Wilhelm. Doublet of William.
How common is the surname Wilhelm?: 19,913 people in the United States had the surname Wilhelm in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 15,505 Americans. It ranked 1,802nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Wilhelm?: In the 2010 Census, 95% of people named Wilhelm identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
Who is the most famous person named Wilhelm?: Kate Wilhelm, American science fiction writer (1928-2018), followed by Hoyt Wilhelm.
Where is the surname Wilhelm most common?: Wikidata records people named Wilhelm in the United States.
Is the surname Wilhelm getting more or less common?: More common. 19,664 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 19,913 in 2010, up 1.3%.
What are other spellings of Wilhelm?: Wilham.
Is Wilhelm also a first name?: Yes. Wilhelm is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.