Willem
About Willem
Common in Holland, the appealing Willem (as in de Kooning and Dafoe) makes William fresh and distinctive.
As of October 2026, Willem ranked #2601 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1208 in 2003.
Editor's take: The name Willem is a boy's name meaning "resolute protector".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,749 | 87 | 45.3 |
| 2015 | #2,107 | 67 | 35 |
| 2016 | #2,045 | 70 | 36.9 |
| 2017 | #2,342 | 56 | 30.3 |
| 2018 | #2,229 | 62 | 34.1 |
| 2019 | #1,950 | 76 | 42.4 |
| 2020 | #2,287 | 60 | 34.8 |
| 2021 | #1,997 | 75 | 42.9 |
| 2022 | #2,559 | 54 | 30.9 |
| 2023 | #2,649 | 50 | 29.2 |
| 2024 | #2,664 | 50 | 29 |
| 2025 | #2,601 | 51 | 29.9 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Willem.
- Eliav
- Marlon
- Irvin
- Bennet
- Piers
- Wendell
- Emile
- Elton
- Hiram
- Giles
- Aubrey
- Clancy
- Saul
- Laurie
- Osvald
- Monte
- Roderick
- Dieter
- Deidre
- Abner
Willem on lists
Famous Willems
- Willem Frederik (William I)
King of the Netherlands
- Willem Frederik George Lodewijk (William II)
King of the Netherlands
- Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk (William III)
King of the Netherlands
- Willem
Alexander Claus George Ferdinand, King of the Netherlands
- William "Willem" Dafoe
American actor
- Willem de Kooning
Dutch,American painter
- Willem Einthoven
Dutch physician; winner of the Nobel Prize
- Vincent Willem van Gogh
Dutch painter
- Willem Barentsz
Dutch navigator, cartographer, and Arctic explorer
- Willem de Sitter
Dutch mathematician, physicist and astronomer
- Willem Herbots
Belgian actor
- Willem De Schryver
Belgian Actor
- Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand
King of the Netherlands
Willem in pop culture
- Willem De Ruiter
a character in the "Just One Day" book series by Gayle Forman