Hail
An English name of Germanic origin literally meaning "wholeness" or "health".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Hail. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hail today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hail births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hail. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hail. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,016
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Hail: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hail by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hail during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hail
The name Hail has its origins in the Germanic languages, particularly in Old Norse and Old English. It is derived from the proto-Germanic word *hailaz, which means "whole" or "healthy." The name was initially used as a descriptive term to express a wish for good health or well-being.
In Old Norse, the name was spelled "Hail" or "Heill," and it was a common name among the Vikings and other Scandinavian peoples. The name was also prevalent in Anglo-Saxon England, where it appeared as "Hæl" or "Hæl." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Old English epic poem "Beowulf," where it is used as a greeting, "Hail, lord of the Danes!"
The name Hail was particularly popular in medieval Europe, especially in Germanic regions. Notable historical figures who bore this name include Hail the Younger, a 9th-century Frankish abbot and scholar, and Hail of Auxerre, a 9th-century Benedictine monk and theologian.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hail gained popularity in Italy, where it was sometimes spelled "Ail" or "Ailio." One notable bearer of this name was Ail da Viterbo, a 13th-century Italian painter and architect.
In the English-speaking world, the name Hail was less common but still had a presence. One notable figure was Hail Chamberlain (1552-1596), an English poet and writer who served as a diplomat during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 19th century, the name Hail experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Germany and Scandinavia. Notable individuals with this name from this period include Hail Ohlsson (1828-1905), a Swedish industrialist and politician, and Hail Marteau (1853-1914), a German painter and sculptor.
While the name Hail is not as common today as it once was, it has maintained a presence in various cultures and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds throughout history, reflecting its enduring appeal and rich linguistic heritage.
People
Hail + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hail as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hail: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hail?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hail going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Hail a common name?
We classify Hail as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hail most popular?
The single biggest year for Hail was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hail is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hail in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hail a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hail in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Hail still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hail in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hail can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Hail?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.