NameCensus.

UK surname

Wilhelm

Derived from the Germanic elements "wil" meaning "will, desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet, protection," referring to a resolute protector.

In the 1881 census there were 33 people recorded with the Wilhelm surname, ranking it #28,965 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 135, ranked #25,505, up from #28,965 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hackney, Barnet and Greenwich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wilhelm is 135 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 309.1%.

1881 census count

33

Ranked #28,965

Modern count

135

2016, ranked #25,505

Peak year

2016

135 bearers

Map years

1

2016 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wilhelm had 33 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,965 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 135 in 2016, ranked #25,505.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 52 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Wilhelm surname distribution map

The map shows where the Wilhelm surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Wilhelm surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wilhelm over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2 #33,133
1861 historical 24 #30,922
1881 historical 33 #28,965
1891 historical 41 #31,095
1901 historical 44 #29,276
1911 historical 52 #27,620
1997 modern 75 #30,109
1998 modern 81 #29,849
1999 modern 83 #29,823
2000 modern 90 #29,068
2001 modern 95 #28,101
2002 modern 102 #27,596
2003 modern 87 #29,615
2004 modern 93 #29,065
2005 modern 85 #30,219
2006 modern 94 #29,264
2007 modern 105 #27,868
2008 modern 104 #28,341
2009 modern 116 #27,062
2010 modern 129 #25,900
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 127 #25,992
2013 modern 127 #26,452
2014 modern 133 #25,851
2015 modern 130 #26,093
2016 modern 135 #25,505

Geography

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Where Wilhelms are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hackney, Barnet, Greenwich, Lewisham and Hastings. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hackney 003 Hackney
2 Barnet 034 Barnet
3 Greenwich 011 Greenwich
4 Lewisham 002 Lewisham
5 Hastings 002 Hastings

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wilhelm

These lists show first names that appear often with the Wilhelm surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wilhelm

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Wilhelm, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Wilhelm surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Wilhelm household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Wilhelm is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wilhelm is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wilhelm falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Wilhelm is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Wilhelm, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Wilhelm

The surname WILHELM originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic words "wil" meaning "will" or "desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet" or "protection." Together, the name WILHELM means "resolute protector" or "strong-willed guardian."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname WILHELM can be found in the Codex Aureus of St. Emmeram, a medieval manuscript dating back to around 1030 AD. This document mentions a nobleman named Adalbertus Wilhelm.

During the 12th century, the name WILHELM was also documented in the Annales Rodenses, a chronicle written by the monks of the Abbey of Rode in present-day Belgium. Here, a reference is made to a knight named Willehelmus de Avennis.

In England, the surname WILHELM is believed to have originated from the Norman conquest in 1066. The Domesday Book, a great survey of landholdings and properties in England compiled in 1086, lists several individuals with the name Wilhelm or its variants, such as Willelmus and Guillelmus.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname WILHELM include: 1) Philipp Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg (1615-1690), a German prince and Elector of the Palatinate. 2) Johann Wilhelm von Jungius (1587-1657), a German mathematician, philosopher, and scientist. 3) Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835), a Prussian philosopher, linguist, and statesman, who was a pioneer in the field of comparative linguistics. 4) Wilhelm Leibl (1844-1900), a German painter and one of the leading figures of the Realistic style. 5) Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923), a German physicist who discovered X-rays and received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.

The surname WILHELM is also found in various place names and old spellings, such as Wilhelmshöhe, a former summer residence of the Electors of Hesse-Kassel in Germany, and Wilhelmshaven, a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany, which was named after King Wilhelm I of Prussia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wilhelm families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wilhelm surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 15 Wilhelms recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.66x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 15 4.66x
Surrey 11 7.02x
Nottinghamshire 3 6.92x
Northumberland 1 2.09x
Renfrewshire 1 4.01x
Warwickshire 1 1.23x
Yorkshire 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 10 Wilhelms recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.65x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 10 35.65x
St George In East 7 319.63x
Snenton 3 176.47x
Bethnal Green London 2 14.32x
St Pancras London 2 7.73x
Aston 1 4.48x
Leeds 1 5.56x
Lowick 1 588.24x
Middle Greenock 1 147.06x
Mile End Old Town 1 19.69x
Newington 1 8.42x
Paddington London 1 8.45x
St Giles In Fields 1 90.09x
St Marylebone London 1 5.82x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Wilhelm surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Maria 2
Mary 2
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Fredericka 1
Hennikie 1
Laura 1
Louisa 1
Margaretta 1
Maud 1
Rosina 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Wilhelm surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Jacob 3
Albert 2
John 2
Arthur 1
Frederick 1
George 1
Henry 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Kunne 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Wilhelm households.

FAQ

Wilhelm surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wilhelm surname in 1881?

In 1881, 33 people were recorded with the Wilhelm surname. That placed it at #28,965 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wilhelm surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 135 in 2016. That gives Wilhelm a modern rank of #25,505.

What does the Wilhelm surname mean?

Derived from the Germanic elements "wil" meaning "will, desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet, protection," referring to a resolute protector.

What does the Wilhelm map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Wilhelm bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.