Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1990

Hilary

Meaning cheerful, happy Gender Unisex · 92% girls Rank 2025 #5,301 Trend ↑ Rising 97%

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

Rank 2025
#5,301
among girls · ↓1,306 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
24
named Hilary · -35% vs 2024
How common
1 in 66,969
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1990
1,225 babies
All-time total
26,368
#937 all-time among girls
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Hilary popularity over time

26,368 babies have been named Hilary since 1882, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 20 20 2 – –
1890s – 24 24 2 +20% –
1900s – 36 36 4 +50% –
1910s 20 291 311 31 +764% #3,314
1920s 38 428 466 47 +50% #3,694
1930s 77 326 403 40 -14% #2,496
1940s 424 308 732 73 +82% #966
1950s 1,289 325 1,614 161 +120% #758
1960s 2,411 166 2,577 258 +60% #527
1970s 4,951 132 5,083 508 +97% #275
1980s 8,337 111 8,448 845 +66% #244
1990s 4,553 25 4,578 458 -46% #232
2000s 1,362 – 1,362 136 -70% #1,090
2010s 501 5 506 51 -63% #2,355
2020s (to 2025) 208 – 208 35 -31% #2,833

Where Hilary is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 27 0.02 outside top 500
2027 29 0.02 outside top 500
2028 32 0.02 outside top 500
2029 34 0.02 outside top 500
2030 36 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Hilary

Hilary is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #5,301 in 2025 with 24 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 26,368 American babies have been named Hilary, about 92% girls and 8% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1990, when 1,225 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Hilary stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Hilary?

The median living Hilary is about 41 years old; half are between 35 and 51. An estimated 24 thousand people named Hilary are alive in the United States today.

median 41 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Hilary year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 24 #5,301 – –
2024 37 #3,995 – –
2023 60 #2,833 – –
2022 45 #3,501 – –
2021 20 #6,035 – –
2020 22 #5,547 – –
2019 31 #4,480 – –
2018 11 #9,409 5 #12,879
2017 16 #7,217 – –
2016 27 #5,049 – –
2015 56 #3,041 – –
2014 60 #2,858 – –
2013 66 #2,670 – –
2012 75 #2,458 – –
2011 79 #2,355 – –
2010 80 #2,370 – –
2009 87 #2,251 – –
2008 101 #2,045 – –
2007 164 #1,439 – –
2006 218 #1,133 – –
2005 219 #1,090 – –
2004 196 #1,155 – –
2003 110 #1,722 – –
2002 96 #1,857 – –
2001 84 #2,018 – –
2000 87 #1,943 – –
1995 125 #1,326 – –
1990 1,217 #232 8 #6,048
1985 1,054 #244 13 #3,486
1980 741 #326 16 #2,877
1975 452 #439 9 #3,765
1970 355 #532 25 #1,762
1965 247 #621 13 #2,311
1960 164 #811 19 #1,878
1955 138 #821 35 #1,281
1950 109 #844 26 #1,449
1945 45 #1,179 28 #1,256
1940 12 #2,478 29 #1,262
1935 11 #2,633 39 #1,030
1930 8 #3,479 36 #1,182
1925 – – 32 #1,289
1920 6 #4,623 42 #1,097
1915 – – 36 #1,076
1910 – – 8 #1,253
1905 – – 6 #1,160
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Hilary

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Hilary Duff Hilary Duff American actress and singer (born 1987) Contemporary
  2. 2 Hilary Swank Hilary Swank American actress (born 1974) Contemporary
  3. 3 Hilary Mantel Hilary Mantel British writer (1952–2022) Contemporary
  4. 4 Hilary Benn Hilary Benn British politician (born 1953) Contemporary
  5. 5 Hilary Hahn Hilary Hahn American violinist (born 1979) Contemporary
  6. 6 Hilary Rhoda Hilary Rhoda American model (born 1987) Contemporary
  7. 7 Hilary Putnam Hilary Putnam American mathematician and philosopher (1926–2016) Contemporary
  8. 8 Hilary of Poitiers Hilary of Poitiers Bishop of Poitiers (c. 310 – c. 367) 315–367 · Antiquity
  9. 9 Hilary Koprowski Hilary Koprowski Polish virologist and immunologist (1916–2013) Contemporary
  10. 10 Hilary of Arles Hilary of Arles Bishop of Arles 401–449 · Antiquity

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Hilary, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Hilary?

The median living Hilary is about 41 years old. Half of all living Hilarys are between 35 and 51 years old.

How many people named Hilary are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Hilary are alive in the United States, based on 26,368 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Hilary mean?

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

How popular is the name Hilary in 2025?

Hilary ranked #5,301 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 24 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Hilary?

26,368 babies have been named Hilary in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Hilary most popular?

Hilary peaked in 1990, when 1,225 newborns received the name.

Is Hilary a boy or girl name?

Hilary is used for both: about 92% of babies named Hilary have been girls and 8% boys.

Is the name Hilary rising or falling?

Hilary is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Hilary become more popular?

Hilary is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 36 girls named Hilary in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Hilary?

Well-known people named Hilary include Hilary Duff (actor), Hilary Swank (actor), Hilary Mantel (writer).

Names like Hilary

Names that sound and feel close to Hilary: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Hilary with similar names → More names starting with H →