Hilary
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Latin
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,776 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #5,237 for girls
Hilary is a girls' name of Latin origin, meaning “cheerful, happy”. In 2025 it ranked 3,776th for girls in the UK (6 babies) and 5,237th for girls in the US (24 babies).
What does Hilary mean?
Latin
“cheerful, happy”
A male given name from Latin.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Hilary a girl's or a boy's name?
Hilary is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 6 girls in the UK and 24 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Hilary in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,776among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 6about 1 in 46,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 333% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 6 girls in the UK were named Hilary, making it the 3,776th most popular name for girls. Its busiest year was 1996, with 29 girls.
2025 had more girls named Hilary than any year since 2015.
Half of all the girls named Hilary in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2009. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 3,704th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1944 (#62) and 1954 (#61).
Hilary in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #3,776 |
| 2024 | 0 | – |
| 2023 | 4 | #4,915 |
| 2022 | 5 | #4,168 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,967 |
| 2016 | 1 | #7,664 |
| 2015 | 6 | #3,777 |
| 2014 | 1 | #7,592 |
| 2013 | 9 | #2,796 |
| 2012 | 4 | #5,058 |
| 2011 | 7 | #3,360 |
| 2010 | 8 | #2,992 |
| 2009 | 6 | #3,603 |
| 2008 | 7 | #3,203 |
| 2007 | 10 | #2,354 |
| 2006 | 10 | #2,263 |
| 2005 | 9 | #2,360 |
| 2004 | 14 | #1,634 |
| 2003 | 10 | #1,954 |
| 2002 | 11 | #1,755 |
| 2001 | 13 | #1,542 |
| 2000 | 11 | #1,689 |
| 1999 | 10 | #1,770 |
| 1998 | 16 | #1,289 |
| 1997 | 13 | #1,466 |
| 1996 | 29 | #837 |
How popular is Hilary in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,237among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 24about 1 in 67,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 89% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 24 girls in the US were named Hilary, making it the 5,237th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,483rd. Its busiest year was 1990, with 1,217 girls. It first appears in the records in 1914.
Half of all the girls named Hilary in the US since 1880 were born between 1974 and 1990, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 91 girls in the US were given Hilary or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,814, up from #5,237 for this spelling alone.
- Hillary 67
- Hilary 24
In 1918, 11% of the babies named Hilary in the US were girls. By 1993 it was 98%, with more girls than boys since 1944.
Hilary in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 24 | #5,237 |
| 2024 | 37 | #3,962 |
| 2023 | 60 | #2,823 |
| 2022 | 45 | #3,469 |
| 2021 | 20 | #5,951 |
| 2020 | 22 | #5,483 |
| 2019 | 31 | #4,436 |
| 2018 | 11 | #9,146 |
| 2017 | 16 | #7,088 |
| 2016 | 27 | #4,989 |
| 2015 | 56 | #3,024 |
| 2014 | 60 | #2,841 |
| 2013 | 66 | #2,660 |
| 2012 | 75 | #2,449 |
| 2011 | 79 | #2,346 |
| 2010 | 80 | #2,360 |
| 2009 | 87 | #2,244 |
| 2008 | 101 | #2,042 |
| 2007 | 164 | #1,438 |
| 2006 | 218 | #1,133 |
| 2005 | 219 | #1,085 |
| 2004 | 196 | #1,151 |
| 2003 | 110 | #1,719 |
| 2002 | 96 | #1,851 |
| 2001 | 84 | #2,009 |
| 2000 | 87 | #1,934 |
| 1999 | 81 | #1,937 |
| 1998 | 92 | #1,719 |
| 1997 | 107 | #1,512 |
| 1996 | 123 | #1,366 |
| 1995 | 125 | #1,319 |
| 1994 | 145 | #1,206 |
| 1993 | 344 | #647 |
| 1992 | 1,170 | #234 |
| 1991 | 1,149 | #242 |
| 1990 | 1,217 | #232 |
| 1989 | 1,026 | #261 |
| 1988 | 976 | #262 |
| 1987 | 873 | #281 |
| 1986 | 909 | #274 |
| 1985 | 1,054 | #244 |
| 1984 | 877 | #274 |
| 1983 | 655 | #346 |
| 1982 | 601 | #384 |
| 1981 | 625 | #372 |
| 1980 | 741 | #326 |
| 1979 | 882 | #275 |
| 1978 | 763 | #305 |
| 1977 | 580 | #369 |
| 1976 | 437 | #444 |
| 1975 | 452 | #439 |
| 1974 | 426 | #445 |
| 1973 | 375 | #478 |
| 1972 | 333 | #515 |
| 1971 | 348 | #525 |
| 1970 | 355 | #532 |
| 1969 | 347 | #527 |
| 1968 | 253 | #605 |
| 1967 | 234 | #623 |
| 1966 | 253 | #594 |
| 1965 | 247 | #619 |
| 1964 | 257 | #638 |
| 1963 | 250 | #640 |
| 1962 | 200 | #729 |
| 1961 | 206 | #724 |
| 1960 | 164 | #810 |
| 1959 | 146 | #843 |
| 1958 | 128 | #905 |
| 1957 | 173 | #757 |
| 1956 | 162 | #767 |
| 1955 | 138 | #820 |
| 1954 | 116 | #890 |
| 1953 | 114 | #882 |
| 1952 | 100 | #924 |
| 1951 | 103 | #890 |
| 1950 | 109 | #841 |
| 1949 | 86 | #962 |
| 1948 | 61 | #1,143 |
| 1947 | 62 | #1,140 |
| 1946 | 38 | #1,418 |
| 1945 | 45 | #1,174 |
| 1944 | 33 | #1,400 |
| 1943 | 27 | #1,624 |
| 1942 | 36 | #1,349 |
| 1941 | 24 | #1,610 |
| 1940 | 12 | #2,423 |
| 1939 | 8 | #3,143 |
| 1938 | 8 | #3,179 |
| 1937 | 12 | #2,447 |
| 1936 | 9 | #2,855 |
| 1935 | 11 | #2,573 |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 6 | #3,751 |
| 1932 | 9 | #3,045 |
| 1931 | 6 | #3,846 |
| 1930 | 8 | #3,343 |
| 1929 | 5 | #4,568 |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 8 | #3,559 |
| 1926 | 8 | #3,563 |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 5 | #5,059 |
| 1923 | 6 | #4,375 |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 6 | #4,396 |
| 1919 | 9 | #3,217 |
| 1918 | 6 | #4,289 |
| 1917 | 0 | – |
| 1916 | 0 | – |
| 1915 | 0 | – |
| 1914 | 5 | #3,617 |
Names like Hilary
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Emily Holly Molly Francesca Jessica Bethany Rosemary Amy Cecily Melody Marnie Amber
Other spellings of Hilary
Names related to Hilary
More Latin names
Oliver Olivia Leo Roman Aurora Florence Mabel Luna Nora Rosie Emilia Max Nova Lucy Julian Clara
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Hilary: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/hilary, updated 20 October 2026.