The first name Hyman
A boy’s name from Hebrew meaning “life”.
2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Hebrew origin
Hyman means “life” in Hebrew.
Anglicisation of Hyam, from Hebrew חַיִּים (ḥayím, “life”).
More names that mean life.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Hyman at birth, 1880–2025
In 2014, 7 boys born in the United States were named Hyman, the 10,031st most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1916, when 379 were.
5,858
babies named Hyman since 1880
#10,031
rank in 2014
1916
peak year
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Hyman
- Hymie
Famous people named Hyman
7 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Hyman MinskyAmerican economist (1919–1996)
- Hyman BassAmerican mathematician, born 1932
- Hyman BloomAmerican artist (1913-2009)
- Harold ArlenAmerican composer of popular music (1905-1986)
- Paul BleyCanadian free jazz, post-bop pianist and keyboardist (1932-2016)
- Mitchell ParishAmerican lyricist (1900–1993)
- Hy ZaretAmerican lyricist and composer (1907-2007)
More Hebrew boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Hyman mean?
- Hyman means “life” in Hebrew.
- What is the origin of the name Hyman?
- Anglicisation of Hyam, from Hebrew חַיִּים (ḥayím, “life”).
- What are nicknames for Hyman?
- Common nicknames for Hyman include Hymie.
- Is Hyman a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 5,858 US babies named Hyman since 1880 were boys.
- When was Hyman most popular?
- 1916 in the United States, when 379 babies were named Hyman, its highest rank at 253rd.
- Is Hyman also a surname?
- Yes. Hyman is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.