Hilary

Hilary: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “cheerful”
Origin: Latin
Say it: HIL-uh-ree · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls (92% of all uses)

Hilary comes from Latin Hilarius, from Greek hilaros meaning cheerful. It has been used for both sexes historically, though now more often feminine in English.

English names French names Names meaning joy Classic names Vintage names International names

How popular is Hilary?

202410.5 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Hilary in 202435

2024 rank#4,107 girls

Peak year1990

Total US babies since 188026,341

Hilary is fading: recent use is about 56% of its level ten years before.

Names like Hilary

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Camilayoung ceremonial attendant · Latin
Lunamoon · Latin
Auroradawn · Latin
Emilyrival · Latin
Norahonor · Latin
Lucylight · Latin
Gracegrace; favor · Latin
Novanew · Latin

Hilary questions

What does the name Hilary mean?

Hilary means "cheerful". It comes from Latin. Hilary comes from Latin Hilarius, from Greek hilaros meaning cheerful. It has been used for both sexes historically, though now more often feminine in English.

Is Hilary a boy or girl name?

Hilary is mainly a girl's name in US records (92% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Hilary?

35 US babies were named Hilary in 2024. Its peak year was 1990.

How do you pronounce Hilary?

Hilary is usually pronounced HIL-uh-ree.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.