Hilario
Masculine · “cheerful”
Hilario is the Spanish form of Hilarius, a Latin name meaning cheerful — and it is the source of the English word hilarious, by a long and slightly comic route.
How old is the name Hilario?
Hilario first appears in US birth records in 1885 — 140 years ago. The typical Hilario alive today was born around 1976, making them about 49 years old. About 3,400 people named Hilario are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hilario most popular?
Hilario peaked in 1929, reaching #836 nationally. Today it ranks #3658, 2,822 places below that high. See the whole 1929 chart.
Where it comes from
From hilaris to Hilario
The story of Hilario
Hilarius was a Roman name and a Christian one — Hilary of Poitiers was a fourth-century theologian whose feast in January gave the Hilary term its name at English universities and courts. Spanish and Italian made Hilario and Ilario. The name was well used in Spain, Mexico and the Philippines and reaches American records with families from all of them, particularly in the early twentieth century.
Meaning
cheerful, glad
From Latin hilaris, cheerful, borrowed from Greek hilaros; the same word gives English hilarity and, much later, hilarious, and the Roman festival of Hilaria was a day of public rejoicing.
How the name formed
- hilaris
- Hilarius
- Hilario
Related forms: Ilario · Hilaire · Hilary · Hilário
Pronouncing Hilario
ee-LAH-ree-oh
Four syllables with the stress on the second; the h is silent in Spanish.
Nicknames for Hilario
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1885
- Most boys named
- 199364 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #836reached in 1929
- Change vs 2023
- +20.0%30 in 2025, from 25
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Hilario in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ilario in Italian — same name
- Hilaire in French — same name
- Hilary in English — related form
- Hilário in Portuguese — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California.
Hilarios among us
people named Hilario are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 56,936 born in 2025 was named Hilario
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Eston test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Hilario's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Eston climbed just as high around 1900, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Eston's path sketches the road Hilario is walking now.
Hilario sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Hilario is headed
Hilario should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Hilario beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Hilario in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning that is straightforwardly good — cheerful.
- Lalo is a warm short form already in universal Mexican use.
- Every letter is sounded, so Spanish speakers read it correctly at once.
- The silent h in Spanish and the sounded h in English make two different names.
- The English word hilarious comes from the same root and will be mentioned.
- Seven letters and four syllables is a fair amount for early handwriting.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Hilario to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Hilario? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Hilario
Masculine · #3658 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Hilarios are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,400 people named Hilario are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hilario in 2025?
- Hilario ranks #3658 among US boy names in 2025, with 30 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Hilario?
- About 1 in every 56,936 US boys born in 2025 was named Hilario — 30 in all.
- Will my child share the name Hilario with classmates?
- Hilario will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Hilario
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Jimmie#3658 · Mckinley#3658 · Menno#3658 · Claudio#3658 · Ezekial#3658 · Brandt#3658 · Benuel#3658 · Gustav#3658
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hilario? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Hilario and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle