What is the Sumerian form of the name Gilgamesh?

The Sumerian form of the name Gilgamesh is Bilgames.

Bilgames appears in Sumerian literary compositions and royal traditions connected with the ruler of Uruk. The better-known form Gilgamesh comes through later Akkadian transmission, especially the Babylonian versions of his epic. The change from Bilgames to Gilgamesh reflects differences between Sumerian and Akkadian linguistic forms rather than two separate heroes.

Bilgames was remembered both as a legendary king and as a figure with divine status after death. Sumerian poems about him include stories involving Enkidu, the ruler of Aratta, and the underworld. These earlier poems helped provide material for the longer Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh, but they are not identical to the Standard Babylonian poem.

A common mix-up is treating Gilgamesh as originally an Akkadian character. His earliest written literary name is Sumerian Bilgames, while Gilgamesh is the conventional English form used for the later tradition.