Hillary
Hillary was the 2592nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 67 babies. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked 132nd with 2,520 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,009 places. More babies were named Hillary in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning "cheerful" · Latin, Greek
Say it HIL-uh-ree /ˈhɪləri/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,592 girls, up 479 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 67girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19922,520 babies
- Total since 1880
- 30,305babies recorded
What does the name Hillary mean?
Hillary is a spelling of Hilary, from the Latin Hilarius (men) and Hilaria (women), from hilaris, "cheerful, merry", a borrowing from Greek hilaros. DMNES lists a 4th-century doctor of the church, Hilary of Poitiers, and a pope. DMNES records Hilary as a man's name in medieval Europe. In the US Hillary is mostly feminine and was most common around 1980 to 1992.
hilaris (Latin, “cheerful, merry”)ἱλαρός (Greek, “cheerful”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Hilary, Hilaria, Ilaria, Hilario.
See also: Latin names, names that mean joy.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Hillary', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Hilary', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Hilary (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Hillary popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,262 since 1888.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,592 | 67 |
| 2020 | #3,071 | 52 |
| 2010 | #1,380 | 168 |
| 2000 | #877 | 252 |
| 1990 | #192 | 1,525 |
| 1980 | #300 | 835 |
| 1970 | #641 | 257 |
| 1960 | #1,271 | 75 |
| 1950 | #1,255 | 54 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Hillary, counting every spelling?
Hillary is the most common spelling of a name family that had 91 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 91 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillary | 67 | #2,592 | 351 |
| Hilary | 24 | #5,301 | 186 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Hillary?
67 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Hillary (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Hillary born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 125 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Hillary.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Hillary?
About 27,900 people born in the US named Hillary are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 33 and 45. That makes Hillary mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Hillary by state
How common Hillary was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 43 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Hillary: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Hillary, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Hillary · Sibling names for Hillary
Questions about the name Hillary
What does Hillary mean?
Hillary means “"cheerful"” (Latin, Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Hillary?
Hillary was the 2592nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 67 babies. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked 132nd with 2,520 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,009 places. More babies were named Hillary in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Hillary a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Hillary in the US.
Where is Hillary most popular?
In 2021–2025, Hillary was most common in New Jersey (0.08 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and New York.