Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2005

Pilar

Meaning A female given name from Spanish Gender Unisex · 88% girls Rank 2025 #3,336 Trend → Stable

A female given name from Spanish.

Rank 2025
#3,336
among girls · ↑160 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
47
named Pilar · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 34,197
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2005
145 babies
All-time total
6,258
#2,416 all-time among girls
First recorded
1896
in Social Security records

Pilar popularity over time

6,258 babies have been named Pilar since 1896, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s 10 – 10 1 – #1,766
1900s 28 – 28 3 +180% #1,440
1910s 154 55 209 21 +646% #1,456
1920s 261 123 384 38 +84% #1,317
1930s 165 78 243 24 -37% #1,766
1940s 138 88 226 23 -7% #1,937
1950s 246 101 347 35 +54% #1,654
1960s 530 86 616 62 +78% #1,392
1970s 626 63 689 69 +12% #1,348
1980s 573 73 646 65 -6% #1,549
1990s 760 60 820 82 +27% #1,333
2000s 1,099 26 1,125 113 +37% #1,518
2010s 627 – 627 63 -44% #2,291
2020s (to 2025) 288 – 288 48 -23% #3,102

Where Pilar 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 47 0.03 outside top 500
2027 47 0.03 outside top 500
2028 47 0.03 outside top 500
2029 48 0.03 outside top 500
2030 48 0.03 outside top 500

Where Pilar is most popular

Girls named Pilar per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.030 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Texas, and Florida.

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 Pilar 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 48 0.057 +93%
Texas 39 0.048 +64%
Florida 20 0.047 +58%
New York 5 0.013 -57%
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 – – –
Virginia – – –
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 Pilar

Pilar is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,336 in 2025 with 47 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1896, 6,258 American babies have been named Pilar, about 88% girls and 12% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2005, when 145 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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

How old are people named Pilar?

The median living Pilar is about 33 years old; half are between 19 and 52. An estimated 5,100 people named Pilar are alive in the United States today.

median 33 020406080100

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

Pilar 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 47 #3,336 – –
2024 45 #3,496 – –
2023 48 #3,370 – –
2022 47 #3,402 – –
2021 53 #3,102 – –
2020 48 #3,266 – –
2019 54 #3,032 – –
2018 42 #3,661 – –
2017 56 #2,959 – –
2016 43 #3,645 – –
2015 50 #3,291 – –
2014 63 #2,773 – –
2013 81 #2,298 – –
2012 80 #2,354 – –
2011 74 #2,477 – –
2010 84 #2,291 – –
2009 90 #2,201 – –
2008 125 #1,771 6 #12,193
2007 85 #2,284 – –
2006 99 #2,014 – –
2005 137 #1,518 8 #8,906
2004 128 #1,553 6 #10,981
2003 109 #1,737 – –
2002 110 #1,680 – –
2001 100 #1,792 6 #10,215
2000 116 #1,547 – –
1995 71 #1,951 6 #8,602
1990 121 #1,333 9 #5,704
1985 53 #2,037 14 #3,339
1980 63 #1,757 7 #5,360
1975 69 #1,495 5 #6,081
1970 78 #1,348 9 #3,459
1965 56 #1,494 5 #4,300
1960 49 #1,613 8 #3,268
1955 25 #2,212 5 #4,258
1950 24 #1,991 9 #2,724
1945 12 #2,708 7 #2,931
1940 8 #3,444 5 #3,823
1935 20 #1,766 12 #2,217
1930 20 #1,860 6 #3,901
1925 20 #1,999 13 #2,402
1920 23 #1,798 18 #1,945
1915 15 #2,123 15 #1,945
1910 9 #1,738 – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Pilar

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

  1. 1 Pilar Bardem Pilar Bardem Spanish actress (1939–2021) Contemporary
  2. 2 Pilar López de Ayala Pilar López de Ayala Spanish film actress (born 1978) Contemporary
  3. 3 Pilar Miró Pilar Miró Spanish screenwriter and film director 1940–1997 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Pilar Lorengar Pilar Lorengar Spanish opera singer 1928–1996 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Pilar?

The median living Pilar is about 33 years old. Half of all living Pilars are between 19 and 52 years old.

How many people named Pilar are alive today?

An estimated 5,100 people named Pilar are alive in the United States, based on 6,258 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Pilar mean?

A female given name from Spanish.

How popular is the name Pilar in 2025?

Pilar ranked #3,336 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 47 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Pilar?

6,258 babies have been named Pilar in the United States since 1896, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Pilar most popular?

Pilar peaked in 2005, when 145 newborns received the name.

Is Pilar a boy or girl name?

Pilar is used for both: about 88% of babies named Pilar have been girls and 12% boys.

Is the name Pilar rising or falling?

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

Will Pilar become more popular?

Pilar looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 48 girls named Pilar in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Pilar?

Well-known people named Pilar include Pilar Bardem (actor), Pilar López de Ayala (actor), Pilar Miró (film director).

Names like Pilar

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

Compare Pilar with similar names → More names starting with P →