We’re exploring the name [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] for dd1!!
First, I’m wondering about spelling. [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] is the traditional way, but I’ve also seen [name_f]Willamina[/name_f], and [name_f]Willemina[/name_f]. Which do you like best, or can you think of an alternate spelling that looks good? More streamlined? [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] looks very [name_m]German[/name_m] to us (yes, we know it’s traditonally a [name_m]German[/name_m] name…) but neither of us has any Germanic background, so we’re on the fence.
Then, nicknames! We were thinking either [name_f]Minnie[/name_f], or [name_m]Lemmy[/name_m] if we spelled it [name_f]Willemina[/name_f]. Are these too much of a stretch? And can you think of any others aside from the obvious [name_f]Mina[/name_f] and [name_f]Willa[/name_f]?
[name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] is my favourite spelling, but other wise [name_f]Willamina[/name_f] makes most sense. I’d still stick to the traditional one though personally.
[name_f]Minnie[/name_f] is a sweet nickname!
Some other nicknames:
[name_f]Willow[/name_f]
[name_f]Mimi[/name_f]
[name_f]Lina[/name_f]
Wimsy/[name_f]Whimsy[/name_f]
[name_f]Emmy[/name_f]
I think [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] has such a lovely vintage feel to her, however, that HEL part, can seem a quite heavy and unnatural to English-only speakers. [name_f]Willamina[/name_f] offers a less traditional, quite modern look, while still keeping that lovely vintage charm – it can look like a ‘modern-smoosh’ of [name_f]Willa[/name_f] & [name_f]Mina[/name_f] though, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but something to consider. [name_f]Willemina[/name_f] is the Dutch feminine form of [name_m]William[/name_m] - all the vintage charm, none of the ‘awkward’ spelling and the usage to back it all up. Personally, I like [name_f]Willemina[/name_f] best.
My favourite nickname is [name_m]Wim[/name_m] – gosh I just adore sweet, yet spunky little [name_m]Wim[/name_m]! [name_f]Minnie[/name_f] is nice, though I would prefer [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] myself. I can’t say I’m a fan of [name_m]Lemmy[/name_m] though - just not liking the look or sound.
I prefer the [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] spelling. To me it’s the more natural and obvious way to spell it. As for nicknames, like with any ‘[name_m]Wil[/name_m]’ names, I always like [name_m]Bill[/name_m]/[name_u]Billie[/name_u].
I like [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]. I also love the nn [name_m]Lemmy[/name_m]/[name_m]Lenny[/name_m] and [name_f]Minnie[/name_f]. I don’t like [name_f]Willa[/name_f].
Another vote for [name_f]Willemina[/name_f]! I really appreciate this thread because while I really love the sound of [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] (pronounced [name_f]Willa[/name_f]-[name_f]Mina[/name_f]), I have always found the spelling off-putting because I read it in my head as [name_m]Wilhelm[/name_m]-mina (I have no idea how it’s actually pronounced in [name_m]German[/name_m], though!). I somehow never really thought of using an alternate spelling, but I was really drawn to the idea of [name_f]Willamina[/name_f] when I saw it written out in the OP because [name_f]Willa[/name_f] and [name_f]Mina[/name_f] are my two favorite nicknames for this name. But, after hearing from the PP that there’s some history/tradition on the side of [name_f]Willemina[/name_f], I like that best of all–you get the streamlined, more (English) phonetic spelling with traditional usage/history on your side
My [name_f]Oma[/name_f] is a dutch [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] (pr will-uh-mee-na), she’s always been [name_u]Min[/name_u] to her family, and [name_f]Wilma[/name_f] to everyone else.
I’m a traditionalist, so I prefer the [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] spelling, but agree that [name_f]Willemina[/name_f] is also a viable alternative. My favourite nicknames for [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] are [name_u]Billie[/name_u] and [name_f]Minnie[/name_f].
[name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] is lovely. I’d definitely stick with the traditional spelling. I came across a little [name_f]Willamina[/name_f] recently, and that spelling just takes away from the classic charm of the name. [name_f]Willa[/name_f], [name_f]Mina[/name_f] and [name_f]Minnie[/name_f] are all cute nicknames, but [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] is my favorite.
I absolutely prefer [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]. I also think you can absolutely get to [name_m]Lemmy[/name_m] even if them “lem” part isn’t actually in that order in [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] like it is in [name_f]Willemina[/name_f]. I really like [name_m]Lemmy[/name_m] but my favourite nickname for this name is definitely [name_u]Billie[/name_u]!
I have only seen [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f], so that’s my favorite. [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] is by far my favourite. It’s also what [name_m]Nelson[/name_m] [name_m]Mandela[/name_m]'s wife went by…another plus. I have also heard [name_u]Billie[/name_u], [name_u]Willie[/name_u], [name_f]Wilma[/name_f] and [name_f]Elma[/name_f]/elm
I say wil-hel-MEE-nuh, for this spelling of [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]. I believe traditionally, in [name_m]German[/name_m], [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f] is pronounced vil-hehl-MEE-nah, just as [name_m]Wilhelm[/name_m] would be VIL-helm. [Here is an audio pronunciation] In English, though spelled this way, the helm part is usually just missed completely – will-uh-mee-nah – which always kind of bothers me. [name_m]Hence[/name_m], why I prefer [name_f]Willemina[/name_f] myself, if not using the [name_m]German[/name_m] pronunciation.
My girl is [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]! She loves her name! She’s almost three but very smart/mature for her age (she has two big brothers). We call her [name_f]Willa[/name_f] mostly in public, I think it’s easier for other people to have a shorter name. She prefers [name_f]Wilhelmina[/name_f]. Sometimes we call her [name_f]Wilma[/name_f], too! Still one of my favorite names of all time.
