girl's name
Hillary
HIL-uh-ree (English)
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 32,283
Hillary is a girl's name meaning "cheerful" or "happy," from the Latin hilaris. It's a variant of Hilary, a name once borne mainly by men, including Saint Hilary of Poitiers, and the same root gives English the word hilarious.
- Hillary is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1992, when 2,527 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 49,483 babies in the United States is given this name.
- Hillary started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
- First appears in US birth records in 1888.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Hillary Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 11 |
| 1890s | 20 |
| 1900s | 26 |
| 1910s | 117 |
| 1920s | 197 |
| 1930s | 141 |
| 1940s | 386 |
| 1950s | 895 |
| 1960s | 1,485 |
| 1970s | 4,168 |
| 1980s | 9,709 |
| 1990s | 8,753 |
| 2000s | 2,705 |
| 2010s | 1,289 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 403 |
What Hillary Means
Hillary means cheerful or merry, and the word has come down to modern English in hilarity. The double-l spelling matches the surname Hillary, which has the same origin as the first name.
Where Hillary Comes From
Latin hilaris, cheerful, itself came from Greek hilaros, and it gave the Roman name Hilarius. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, a fourth-century bishop, made it a Christian name, and a feminine Hilaria also existed. In medieval England Hilary was used for both men and women, then dropped from common use until the nineteenth century, by which point it was often a girl's name. A surname Hillary grew out of the same word. In the United States the name's history took a sharp turn: US girls named Hillary numbered 2,520 in 1992, then 1,064 in 1993 and 409 in 1994, as the Clintons entered the White House.
Hillary in Use
Two bearers dominate the name: mountaineer Edmund Hillary, who carried it as a surname, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. The drop remains one of the clearest examples of a name changing with one public figure.
How Popular Is Hillary?
In 2025, Hillary was given to 67 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Hillary Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Hillary
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Hillary Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hillary over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Hillary
- English HIL-uh-ree
Hillary in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Polish
- Hilary
Sibling Names for Hillary
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Hillary — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Hillary
What does the name Hillary mean?
Cheerful or happy, from the Latin hilaris.
Is Hillary a boy's or a girl's name?
It's now used almost entirely for girls, though Hilary was mainly a man's name for centuries.
Is Hillary spelled with one l or two?
Both spellings are correct. The two-l form matches the surname, while Hilary is the older first-name form.
How popular is the name Hillary?
In 2025, Hillary was given to 67 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
How many syllables are in Hillary?
Hillary has 3 syllables.
When was Hillary most popular?
Hillary peaked in 1992, when 2,527 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Hillary a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hillary currently ranks #2,586 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.