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Wilhelmine Kekelaokalaninui Widemann Dowsett whose name was often spelled as Wilhelmina, (March 28, 1861 – December 10, 1929) was a Native Hawaiian suffragist who helped organize the National Women's Equal Suffrage Association of Hawaii, the first women's suffrage club in the Territory of Hawaii in 1912. She actively campaigned for the rights of the women of Hawaii to vote prior to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920.
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Wilhelmina Jacqueline "Willie Jack" Sampson is a character from the comedy-drama series Reservation Dogs. She is portrayed by Paulina Alexis.
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I love this name so much, not just because of its cool meaning and history, but also because of all the potential nicknames. A Wilhelmina could be Minnie, Mina, Mimi, Willie, Billie, Helmi, Wilma, Willa, ect, or just Wilhelmina because it's a great name!
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I would definitely consider Wilhelmina if I ever have a daughter, to me it sounds regal, whimsical, fairy tale like (probably because of Wilhelm Grimm) and so grand! Billie is my favorite nickname, especially for a toddler, Minnie, Willa and Wilma I also love. I think this name needs more recognition but I also don’t- because I don’t want it to become trendy or overused!
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A timeless name!
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It's very beautiful and timeless name. 😍😍
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I love both Wilhelmine and Wilhelmina. Who cares if they're long and dated? There are so many nicknames for both names, like Helmi and Mimi. Even Mina for the latter.
Plus, stop changing the usage without reason.
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Plus, stop changing the usage without reason.
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Boy do I love this name! I used to see it as extremely clunky when I was younger, but the last couple of years I've been chronically swooning over it. I like most variations of William (Will, Willie, Bill, Billy, Liam's kinda nice if it wasn't so popular, the Welsh Gwilym and Gwil, the Germanic and Polish Wilhelm, the Dutch Willem, and the name William itself, and some others probably). And I think it's directly from there that I've started to love Wilhelmina so much. I'd love love love to use either Wilhelm or Wilhelmina on a child, but I'm not sure whether in the end I'd be brave enough, because they're both so extremely rare here and no one else seems to like them, and they seem to be perceived as very harsh and, well, clunky. On one side I get it because I used to be in that camp too, especially when it comes to Wilhelmina, but on the other it's weird because there are no harsh-sounding letters in it. I think Wilhelmina is quite paradoxical because it has this almost fluid sound, all the I's and L's make it look very feminine, yet it has SO much strength in it from somewhere. Perhaps it's the meaning. I love its meaning too, by the way.
Here it's so rare that I don't even know anyone with this name, and I'd love to. I don't even know why it's considered as elderly and dated as it is because it's not like you can bump into an elderly lady Wilhelmina at every corner.
I think probably the best thing about this name is the HUGE nickname potential. I love Billie to bits, and also the Finnish Helmi, Wilma, Willie, Mina/Minnie, Mila, Mimi, Elma, in Polish she could be Minka or Misia, the English Willa is quite nice too. But I think Billie and Helmi are my favourites.
I like this name because it's so long and elaborate (I tend to like long names), classic and vintage yet uncommon, both strong and soft at the same time, like I said has huge nickname potential, has a great meaning, plenty of history in many countries, is royal, makes me think of the Netherlands and the Dutch language which I like a lot and plan to learn.
The variant Vilhelmina or Vilhelmiina is also cool.
What I really dislike though is the way it's pronounced in English. Ugh, it's so wishy-washy, and also problematic, because it seems to get misspelled in English all the time. And I don't like all the alternative spellings like Willamina, Willamena etc. Not fun imo.
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Here it's so rare that I don't even know anyone with this name, and I'd love to. I don't even know why it's considered as elderly and dated as it is because it's not like you can bump into an elderly lady Wilhelmina at every corner.
I think probably the best thing about this name is the HUGE nickname potential. I love Billie to bits, and also the Finnish Helmi, Wilma, Willie, Mina/Minnie, Mila, Mimi, Elma, in Polish she could be Minka or Misia, the English Willa is quite nice too. But I think Billie and Helmi are my favourites.
I like this name because it's so long and elaborate (I tend to like long names), classic and vintage yet uncommon, both strong and soft at the same time, like I said has huge nickname potential, has a great meaning, plenty of history in many countries, is royal, makes me think of the Netherlands and the Dutch language which I like a lot and plan to learn.
The variant Vilhelmina or Vilhelmiina is also cool.
What I really dislike though is the way it's pronounced in English. Ugh, it's so wishy-washy, and also problematic, because it seems to get misspelled in English all the time. And I don't like all the alternative spellings like Willamina, Willamena etc. Not fun imo.
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Dutch singer Roxeanne Hazes' full name is Roxeanne Friedel Wilhelmina Hazes.
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Pronounced veel-hehl-MEE-nah in Polish.
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Last year (2020) only two baby girls were given the name Wilhelmina as first name in Poland. 3 got it as a middle name. In January of this year, there have been 1506 women with this name in the country, 604 had it as a middle. Wilhelmina's name day in Poland is October 25, but a Wilhelmina certainly could also celebrate together with Wilhelm (January 10, June 8 and 25). Nicknames include Wilhelminka, Wilhelmisia, Wilma, Wila, Wilka, Wilcia, Misia, Minka, Mina, Minia, Helma, Elma, Helmi, Mimi, Mila, Hela etc. Etc. Etc. Depending on your invention, a lot of the English Wilhelmina nicknames would definitely work here too. I personally have never ever met a Wilhelmina, and can't even think of a single Polish bearer of this name that I would ever have heard of. It feels really rare and, while I don't know if it ever had any more popularity at all, I think most people would consider it really clunky and dated, unusable even. Wilhelm is also not popular and perceived as clunky and I guess for most people seems very German and harsh.
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Wilhelmina is also Polish. The name days for Wilhelmina in Poland are May 26 and October 25.
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I think this name is a beautiful and strong name for a girl! In Germany, this name would be pronounced VIL-HEHL-MEE-NA I personally prefer the German pronunciation as this name is a feminine version of VILHELM.
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I love classic names, this one is so pretty.
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Amazing name! Classic beauty! Looks like it fits for a strong woman! Wilhelmina is a beautiful name, also really rare in these days. Just great!
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I prefer this name pronounced as "vil-hehl-MEE-na" or "wil-hehl-MEEN-a" as Wilhelm is pronounced as "vil-hehlm" or "wil-hehlm", not "Will-luhm". I feel like "wil-a-MEEN-a" is a bit misleading, and should be spelt as Willamina, but then again "vil-helh-MEE-na" is also a bit misleading, better spell it as Wilhelmine (but Wilhelmine can also be pronounced wrong. You can spell it as Vilhelmina instead). I feel like pronouncing Wilhelmina as Willamina is a bit like pronouncing Antoinette as Annette. I think Wilhelmina is a good name. :)
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Here in England I've only heard this name pronounced Will-uh-MEE-nuh. [noted -ed]
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As an Anglophone, I have never heard this pronounced wil-hehl-MEEN-uh. I've never heard the H pronounced in English - it has always been wil-uh-MEE-nuh (i.e.: Wilhelmina and Willamina would be pronounced the same in English).
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Okay, apparently this is one of those really old and common for old woman names - but I had never heard of it before I read Ghosts of the Shadow Market, by Cassandra Clare. I've never heard of anyone named any feminine form of William except for the name Billie. I also had no clue how to pronounce this name. I looked it up, and it's pronounced like Will - ah - mee - nuh. I love it! I love the name Willa, and the name Mina, but can't see it in the spelling at all. Willamina, Willemina, or Wilamina are the spellings to go for with this name. I like Wilamina best because it seems the easiest to pronounce in romance languages. Also, I despise extra l's crowding up a name (Hilary, not Hillary, Lily, not Lilly, Hila, not Hilla... the list goes on). The nicknames I know of after researching this name, because I became interested, are Willa/Wila and Mina. Both are nice. I also think Mila (Mee - lah) would be an adorable nickname.
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Anyone else remember the little girl in the commercial for H. O. Farina? ("Watch Wilhelmina eat her farina....") (You can find it on YouTube if you care enough.)
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My great grandmother's name was Kathrina Wilhelmina and she came to America in 1873 from Germany. Her son, my Grandpa told me when I was a young girl that his beloved mother was very sweet. I have one picture of her as an old woman and she was very tiny with a big smile. I think of that big name on a tiny little girl/woman and I smile. Love the name.
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Who cares if it's long, I love long names!
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Another nickname for Wilhelmina I've seen is Billie.
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In 2018, 59 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Wilhelmina who is registered female with the Social Security Administration. It is the 3, 106th most common female first name for living U.S. citizens.
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I personally find this name to be extremely ugly and harsh.
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I think a lot of people here are selling this name short. It has so many possibilities for nicknames, and it's both substantial and feminine. It has a great vintage charm. I think Wilhelmina has a lot to recommend it. I wish people would resurrect some of these venerable older names rather than making up silly nonsense like Nevaeh and another spelling of Cèilidh the world doesn't need.
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I first came across this name when I read Bram Stoker's Dracula, as the female lead is called Wilhelmina (known as Mina) played by Winona Ryder in the movie.
It struck me as sounding very beautiful, antiquated and substantial. But the spelling can be off putting I think, because of the way the English pronounce it Willa-Meena. Looking at it, how do you ignore the hel and get an ah sound? It just seems odd. An alternative spelling I found is Willamina, but this has the danger of becoming Wil-lamb-mina. It just seems too complex, unless you like complex, in which case, it's perfect. But for me, I find it a bit much. I think it sounds nicer than it looks.
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It struck me as sounding very beautiful, antiquated and substantial. But the spelling can be off putting I think, because of the way the English pronounce it Willa-Meena. Looking at it, how do you ignore the hel and get an ah sound? It just seems odd. An alternative spelling I found is Willamina, but this has the danger of becoming Wil-lamb-mina. It just seems too complex, unless you like complex, in which case, it's perfect. But for me, I find it a bit much. I think it sounds nicer than it looks.
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The name Wilhelmina was given to 73 girls born in the US in 2016.
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The name Wilhelmina was given to 132 girls born in the US in 2015.
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Often Wilhelmina is pronounced Wi-la-MI-na in the United States. I think it's a nice name. Willa is a cute nickname :)
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My grandmother's name was Wilhelmina and they called her Minnie for short. She was German. I love this name and if I had a daughter it would be a name I would consider. Beautiful & strong.
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It was my grandmother's middle name. She was from a very German family, but was born and lived in Nebraska and Minnesota, US. She pronounced it Wil-lah-MEE-nah. I'm planning on using it (hopefully) for my future daughter, but we will call her Billie.
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Many English speakers pronounce Wilhelmina as wil-lə-MEE-nah.
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I find this name clunky and unattractive.
To honour a William in naming a daughter, I'd like to suggest the name Wilmot - it's given on this site as a medieval masculine name but in England, especially in the West Country including Devon and Cornwall, it was heavily if not exclusively used for girls until well into modern times.
I think it's worthy of consideration as a girl's version of William, especially in middle name spot.
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To honour a William in naming a daughter, I'd like to suggest the name Wilmot - it's given on this site as a medieval masculine name but in England, especially in the West Country including Devon and Cornwall, it was heavily if not exclusively used for girls until well into modern times.
I think it's worthy of consideration as a girl's version of William, especially in middle name spot.
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I love love love this name! :D.
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This name makes me think of Wilhelmina Slater from Ugly Betty; beautiful, witty and strong minded.
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Wilhelmina "Mina" Wylie was one of the first Australian female representatives at the Olympics. Mina won a silver; she was beaten by fellow Australian and friend Sarah "Fanny" Durack.
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I am learning German, and often a word / name starting with ' W ' is said as the English letter ' V ', even words we recognize. ( Such as 'Wind' )
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I think this name is strong and elegant and has plenty of cute nicknames.
I really do love this name but I'm not sure my love of the name would be shared by everyone else.
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I really do love this name but I'm not sure my love of the name would be shared by everyone else.
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Wilhelmina is so pretty. Nicknames Willa, Willow, Mina, Minka and Minnie.
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My mind goes blank just looking at the name. Hard to decide on its pronunciation. Very odd, very weird, very unpleasant name. What are the shorter versions? "Wil", or "Mina"? Whatever else you make out of it is stupid sounding and ugly.
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This name is also used in Poland. I find it to be lovely. [noted -ed]
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This name is extremely hard to pronounce for me. Oddly enough I still like it.
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I really love Wilhelmina because of Wilhelmina Harker. Another nickname for Wilhelmina is Minka.
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Dutch pronunciation is wil-hel-MEE-nah.
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Wilhelmina Cooper was a model in the 50s and 60s and the founder of modeling agency Wilhelmina Models.
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Strong and elegant.
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I used to think this name was so old sounding -- but now I think it'd be really adorable on a little girl. :)
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Very outdated and elderly name.
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This name isn't often used in Spanish-speaking countries, but it's pronounced Wih-lehl-mih-nah. (The 'h' is not pronounced in Spanish.) I like this name, but a nickname is Willa, Wila in Spanish, which is slang for "prostitute". :(
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Spanish speaking countries usually spell it as "GUILLERMINA" pronounced gee-yer-MI-na. It's very rare, its masculine form is more common. I'm from a Spanish speaking country, take my word not BornOnRoshHashanah, don't know where in the world does Wila means that!
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Wilhelmina Slater is one of the main characters on the hit show Ugly Betty. She is played by Vanessa Williams, and is a conniving fashion editor willing to do anything to take over the magazine.
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It´s also the Czech and Slovak form. Name Day: 7th January.
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Wilhelmina is the full name of Will in the European version of the WITCH comics.
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Wilhelmina´s pet forms are Will, Billie, Mina, Wilusha, Wilma, Wilja.
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The French form of this name is Wilhelmine, a name borne by many Belgian and Luxembourgish royals.
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A famous bearer was Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker, the main character in Bram Stoker's legendary horror novel "Dracula".
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Pronounced Wele-mee-na, Queen of the Netherlands. Though she sought refuge in England in WW2, she still was consistant in encouraging the Dutch resistance.
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Tbird is quite correct, in the Netherlands we pronounce it as: Will-hell-MEEN-ah.
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