Hale
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "hale" or "healthy".
Name Census estimates that about 747 living Americans carry the first name Hale. It is a predominantly male name (98.9% of registrations). The average person named Hale today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hale births was 1917 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hale. 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.
People living today
747
~ 1 in 458,841 Americans
Peak year
1917
30 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,961
Tracked since 1892
Gender
Gender distribution for Hale
Hale leans heavily male at 98.9% of total registrations, but 14 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Hale as a male name
- Ranked #6,961 in 2024
- 12 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1917 (30 births)
Hale as a female name
- Ranked #16,187 in 2007
- 6 female births in 2007
- Peak: 1998 (8 births)
Popularity
Hale: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hale from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 214 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Hale remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hale 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 Hale during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hales live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hale
The name Hale has its roots in the Old English language, dating back to the 5th to 11th centuries. It is derived from the word "halu," which means "wholesome" or "healthy." The name was initially used to describe a person's physical or mental well-being.
During the Anglo-Saxon period, the name Hale was primarily used as a descriptive name or a nickname. It was given to individuals who appeared to be in good health or had a strong, robust physique. As the use of surnames became more common, some families adopted Hale as their surname, indicating their strong and healthy lineage.
In medieval times, the name Hale was occasionally found in historical records and literature. One notable example is Hale the Huntsman, a character mentioned in the late 14th-century poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." This work is part of the Arthurian legend and depicts Hale as a skilled hunter in the service of King Arthur.
The earliest recorded use of Hale as a given name dates back to the late 16th century. One of the first documented individuals with this name was Hale Worthington, an English nobleman born in 1590. Worthington was known for his involvement in the English Civil War and his support for the Parliamentarian cause.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Hale. Here are five examples:
1. Hale Woodruff (1900-1980), an American artist and educator known for his contributions to the Harlem Renaissance.
2. Hale Boggs (1914-1972), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative and House Majority Leader.
3. Hale Smith (1925-2009), an American actor best known for his role as Reverend Isiah Thurman on the television series "The Waltons."
4. Hale Irwin (born 1945), a professional golfer from the United States who has won multiple major championships, including three U.S. Opens.
5. Hale Appleman (born 1986), an American actor and singer known for his roles in television series like "The Magicians" and "Dickinson."
While the name Hale was initially used to describe physical attributes, it has evolved over time to become a given name with a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in English-speaking countries.
People
Hale + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hale 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
Hale: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hale?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 747 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hale 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 458,841 US residents.
Is Hale a common name?
We classify Hale as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,283 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hale most popular?
The single biggest year for Hale was 1917, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hale is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hale a male name?
Yes, 98.9% of people registered as Hale 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.
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.