Hillery
Masculine · Latin roots · “cheerful”
Hillery is given to both — 501 boys and 495 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Hillery sounds like Hilary and is spelled like an Irish surname, and it has been given to boys and to girls in close to equal measure. Its most distinguished bearer carried it as a surname: Patrick Hillery, who served two full terms as President of Ireland.
How old is the name Hillery?
Hillery first appears in US birth records in 1887 — 138 years ago. The typical Hillery alive today was born around 1934, making them about 91 years old. About 200 people named Hillery are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hillery most popular?
Hillery peaked in 1887, reaching #921 nationally. See the whole 1887 chart.
Where it comes from
From Hilarius (Latin) to Hillery
The story of Hillery
Hilary came into English from the Latin Hilarius, built on hilaris, 'cheerful', and it has served both sexes for centuries. Hillery writes that sound with the spelling of an Irish surname, and the surname has its own distinguished line. Patrick Hillery, a doctor from County Clare, was Ireland's minister for foreign affairs when the country negotiated its entry into the European Economic Community, became its first European commissioner, and then served as President of Ireland for two full terms. In America the spelling went to sons and to daughters alike, which is where its two roads meet.
Meaningscholars disagree
cheerful, through Hilary, or an Irish surname
Two roads reach this spelling. As a form of Hilary it goes back to the Latin Hilarius, from hilaris, 'cheerful', a name used for men and for women. Hillery is also an Irish surname, and a first name taken from it would carry no such meaning. The record does not say which road any family took.
How the name formed
- HilariusLatin
- Hilary
- Hillery
Related forms: Hilarius · Hilaire · Hilario
Pronouncing Hillery
HILL-er-ee
Three syllables, stress on the first, the same as Hilary and Hillary.
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
- 1887
- Most boys named
- 192815 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #921reached in 1887
- Change vs 1976
- −16.7%5 in 1983, from 6
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.
Hillery in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Hilarius in Latin — related form
- Hilaire in French — related form
- Hilario in Spanish — related form
Hillerys among us
people named Hillery 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
Hillery 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
- Sounds exactly like Hilary, a name with a long record for both sexes, so it is familiar on first hearing.
- Shares its spelling with a respected Irish surname and a President of Ireland.
- Works for a boy or a girl without seeming borrowed from the other.
- Hearing it, people will write Hilary or Hillary, so the spelling will need giving every time.
- For many Americans the sound now calls up Hillary Clinton first, whatever their politics; the association is strong.
- In current American use the sound is heard mostly as a woman's name, so a boy named Hillery will more often be taken for a girl on paper; the split in this spelling's own record is a fair answer to that.
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Hillery
Masculine · Latin roots
Frequently asked
- How many Hillerys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Hillery are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hillery in 2025?
- Hillery is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Hillery with classmates?
- Hillery 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 Hillery? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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