Hillary
Masculine · “Cheerful”
Hillary is given to both — 1,262 boys and 29,043 girls since 1880. See Hillary as a girl nameSee other names given to both
The name has one l in Latin, one l in Britain, and two in most American use. The doubling is not a mistake and not ancient; it is an American habit applied to a name that arrived spelled the other way, and it is now the more common form in the United States and almost unknown elsewhere.
How old is the name Hillary?
Hillary first appears in US birth records in 1888 — 137 years ago. The typical Hillary alive today was born around 1946, making them about 79 years old. About 600 people named Hillary are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hillary most popular?
Hillary peaked in 1898, reaching #744 nationally. See the whole 1898 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From hilaris to Hillary
The story of Hillary
The bishop the name belongs to was one of the most stubborn men of the fourth century. Hilary of Poitiers refused to accept the emperor's preferred settlement of the Arian dispute, refused to condemn the man the emperor wanted condemned, and was exiled to Asia Minor for it, where he learned Greek, read the eastern theologians, and wrote the book that made his reputation. He was eventually sent home because he was more trouble in exile than at large. The English legal year still has a term named after him, running from January, because his feast falls in the middle of that month and the courts of medieval England organized themselves around the calendar of the Church. The doubled l is a much later and much smaller story, and belongs entirely to American spelling.
Meaning
Cheerful
Latin hilaris, cheerful or glad, from the Greek word behind it. The English word hilarious descends from the same adjective and has drifted a long way: the Latin meant good-humored and settled, not funny. A Roman being described as hilaris was being called pleasant company, not amusing, and the name means the first of those.
How the name formed
- hilaris
- Hilarius
- Hilary
- Hillary
Related forms: Hilaire · Ilaria · Hilaria · Hilarius
Pronouncing Hillary
HIL-uh-ree
Three syllables with the stress at the front. The doubled l changes nothing audible; the vowel before it was already short. British speakers with the single-l spelling say exactly the same thing.
Nicknames for Hillary
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
- 1888
- Most boys named
- 195427 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #744reached in 1898
- Change vs 2002
- +20.0%6 in 2008, from 5
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.
Hillary in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Hilaire in French — same name
- Ilaria in Italian — related form
- Hilaria in Spanish — related form
- Hilarius in Latin — related form
Hillarys among us
people named Hillary are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Hillary sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A clear and cheerful meaning that can be given to a child in one word.
- It has been in continuous use since the fourth century, which very few names manage.
- The name is recognizable in French, Italian and Spanish with small changes.
- The name is on record for boys as well, and was a man's name for most of its history.
- The single-l spelling is standard everywhere outside the United States, so the doubling has to be specified abroad.
- In America the name carries a strong political association that will not fade for a generation.
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Hillary
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Hillarys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Hillary are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hillary in 2025?
- Hillary is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Hillary with classmates?
- Hillary will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More H names
The most-given names starting with H, all years combined.
Henry#5 · Harold#991 · Harry#775 · Howard#1002 · Hunter#130 · Herbert#2641 · Herman#2363 · Harvey#251
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hillary? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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