girls' name ★ peaked 1921

Hilda

Meaning battle Gender Girl Rank 2025 #3,007 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

Short form of Germanic names beginning or ending in hild (“battle”).

Rank 2025
#3,007
among girls · ↑22 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
55
named Hilda · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 29,223
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1921
2,137 babies
All-time total
81,200
#437 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Hilda popularity over time

81,200 babies have been named Hilda since 1880, 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
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 1,280 – 1,280 128 – #138
1890s 4,732 – 4,732 473 +270% #87
1900s 6,783 7 6,790 679 +43% #88
1910s 15,674 33 15,707 1,571 +131% #101
1920s 18,191 60 18,251 1,825 +16% #123
1930s 9,454 38 9,492 949 -48% #158
1940s 7,567 5 7,572 757 -20% #215
1950s 6,303 10 6,313 631 -17% #296
1960s 3,596 – 3,596 360 -43% #456
1970s 2,582 5 2,587 259 -28% #552
1980s 1,907 20 1,927 193 -26% #684
1990s 1,362 – 1,362 136 -29% #1,104
2000s 827 – 827 83 -39% #1,560
2010s 448 – 448 45 -46% #2,719
2020s (to 2025) 316 – 316 53 +18% #2,839

Where Hilda 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 57 0.04 outside top 500
2027 59 0.04 outside top 500
2028 60 0.04 outside top 500
2029 62 0.04 outside top 500
2030 63 0.04 outside top 500

Where Hilda is most popular

Girls named Hilda per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.033 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Texas, and Virginia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Hilda born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
California 43 0.051 +53%
Texas 41 0.051 +53%
Virginia 5 0.029 -12%
Florida 10 0.023 -30%
New York 5 0.013 -62%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Hilda

Hilda is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,007 in 2025 with 55 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 81,200 American babies have been named Hilda. Its peak came in 1921, when 2,137 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Hilda stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Hilda?

The median living Hilda is about 68 years old; half are between 50 and 79. An estimated 24 thousand people named Hilda are alive in the United States today.

median 68 020406080100

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

Hilda 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 55 #3,007 – –
2024 54 #3,029 – –
2023 56 #2,991 – –
2022 60 #2,839 – –
2021 46 #3,411 – –
2020 45 #3,420 – –
2019 48 #3,298 – –
2018 45 #3,456 – –
2017 36 #4,097 – –
2016 40 #3,809 – –
2015 49 #3,316 – –
2014 44 #3,559 – –
2013 33 #4,364 – –
2012 65 #2,719 – –
2011 41 #3,747 – –
2010 47 #3,431 – –
2009 75 #2,517 – –
2008 62 #2,867 – –
2007 61 #2,945 – –
2006 90 #2,154 – –
2005 75 #2,367 – –
2004 88 #2,075 – –
2003 86 #2,072 – –
2002 120 #1,560 – –
2001 88 #1,960 – –
2000 82 #2,024 – –
1995 138 #1,238 – –
1990 158 #1,106 – –
1985 183 #874 – –
1980 253 #684 8 #4,671
1975 249 #631 – –
1970 298 #589 – –
1965 377 #488 – –
1960 458 #456 – –
1955 660 #331 – –
1950 682 #296 – –
1945 680 #259 – –
1940 797 #215 – –
1935 867 #199 – –
1930 1,303 #158 6 #3,777
1925 1,824 #142 – –
1920 2,050 #125 8 #3,338
1915 1,891 #107 – –
1910 793 #109 – –
1905 655 #101 – –
1900 663 #101 – –
1895 513 #104 – –
1890 304 #128 – –
1885 121 #168 – –
1880 60 #199 – –

Famous people named Hilda

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

  1. 1 Hilda Gadea Hilda Gadea Peruvian economist, Communist leader, and author 1925–1974 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Hilda Solis Hilda Solis American politician (born 1957) Contemporary
  3. 3 Hilda of Whitby Hilda of Whitby Christian saint (c. 614–680) Medieval
  4. 4 Hilda Heine Hilda Heine President of the Marshall Islands (2016–2020; 2024–present) b. 1951 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Hilda Gobbi Hilda Gobbi Hungarian actress (1913–1988) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Hilda?

The median living Hilda is about 68 years old. Half of all living Hildas are between 50 and 79 years old.

How many people named Hilda are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Hilda are alive in the United States, based on 81,200 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Hilda mean?

Short form of Germanic names beginning or ending in hild (“battle”).

How popular is the name Hilda in 2025?

Hilda ranked #3,007 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 55 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Hilda?

81,200 babies have been named Hilda in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Hilda most popular?

Hilda peaked in 1921, when 2,137 newborns received the name.

Is Hilda a boy or girl name?

Hilda is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Hilda rising or falling?

Hilda is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Hilda become more popular?

Hilda is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 63 girls named Hilda 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 Hilda?

Well-known people named Hilda include Hilda Gadea (social activist), Hilda Solis (politician), Hilda of Whitby (religious figure).

Names like Hilda

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

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