# Hilary (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/hilary/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “cheerful”, “happy” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɪləɹi/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Ellery, Hillary |
| US babies named this | 26,368 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,197 / 24,171 (92% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 204, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Latin Hilarius (“cheerful, happy”), name of a fourth-century saint, and from its feminine form Hilaria.

## What it means

Hilary is grouped under joy.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 79 | 2,355 |
| 2012 | 75 | 2,458 |
| 2013 | 66 | 2,670 |
| 2014 | 60 | 2,858 |
| 2015 | 56 | 3,041 |
| 2016 | 27 | 5,049 |
| 2017 | 16 | 7,217 |
| 2018 | 11 | 9,409 |
| 2019 | 31 | 4,480 |
| 2020 | 22 | 5,547 |
| 2021 | 20 | 6,035 |
| 2022 | 45 | 3,501 |
| 2023 | 60 | 2,833 |
| 2024 | 37 | 3,995 |
| 2025 | 24 | 5,301 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 16 | 2,877 |
| 1981 | 12 | 3,491 |
| 1982 | 6 | 5,927 |
| 1983 | 14 | 3,137 |
| 1984 | 10 | 4,034 |
| 1985 | 13 | 3,486 |
| 1986 | 12 | 3,726 |
| 1987 | 8 | 5,146 |
| 1988 | 5 | 7,726 |
| 1989 | 15 | 3,695 |
| 1990 | 8 | 6,048 |
| 1991 | 5 | 8,703 |
| 1992 | 6 | 7,822 |
| 1993 | 6 | 8,019 |
| 2018 | 5 | 12,879 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 11 | 1,836 |
| 2005 | 8 | 2,438 |
| 2006 | 10 | 2,137 |
| 2007 | 10 | 2,233 |
| 2008 | 7 | 3,005 |
| 2009 | 6 | 3,422 |
| 2010 | 8 | 2,843 |
| 2011 | 7 | 3,185 |
| 2012 | 4 | 4,838 |
| 2013 | 9 | 2,649 |
| 2015 | 6 | 3,615 |
| 2017 | 4 | 4,763 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,645 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4,709 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3,705 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | 4,991 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 希拉里, 希拉麗 /希拉丽
- Estonian: Hillar
- Finnish: Ilari
- Italian: Ilario, Ilaria
- Polish: Hilary, Hilaria
- Vietnamese: Hilariô

## People named Hilary

- Hilary Swank, American actress (born 1974)
- Hilary Duff, American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and writer (born 1987)
- Hilary Mantel, British writer (1952–2022)
- Hilary Putnam, American philosopher and mathematician
- Hilary Hahn, American classical violinist
- Hilary Benn, British politician (born 1953)
- Hilary Knight, American ice hockey player
- Hilary Rhoda, American model
- Hilary Lindh, alpine skier
- Hilary Caldwell, Canadian swimmer, Olympic athlete, Pan American Games gold medallist
- Hilary Smart, American sailor
- Hilary Dwyer, British actress (1945-2020)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.