Brant Gardner notes that the printer's manuscript for Mosiah 18:12 contains the name Helaman rather than the current Helam. This change occurs in changes to the printer's manuscript. Yet the change appears in the first edition of the Book of Mormon as Helam. This precise change from Helaman to Helam occurs 12 times in the corrections to the printer's manuscript: Mosiah 18:12,13,14; Mosiah 23:19,20,25,26,29,35,37,38, 39. (see Book of Mormon Critical Text, FARMS, 1987, pp. 453-454, 475-479) [Brant Gardner, "Book of Mormon Commentary," [http://www.highfiber.com/~nahualli/] LDStopics/ Mosiah/Mosiah18.htm, p. 18]
“Helam”
It is interesting that according to Joseph and Norrene Salonimer, the meaning of the name Helam is related to the name Helaman, and is defined as "faithfulness, truth, truthfulness, certainty." [Joseph and Norrene Salonimer, I Know Thee By Name, p. 53]
Note* What is intriguing with this definition is that according to the meaning of his name, Helam is symbolically qualified to be baptized. Moreover, Alma and his followers will eventually take up residence in a land of Helam. Although they will be subjected to adversity in this land, symbolically they will doing so in faithfulness, truthfulness, and a certainty of their cause. [Alan C. Miner, Personal Notes] [See the commentary on Mosiah 23:19]