Hallel
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "praise" or "praise to God".
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the first name Hallel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hallel today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hallel births was 2023 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hallel. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Hallel with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
111
~ 1 in 3,087,877 Americans
Peak year
2023
12 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,120
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Hallel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hallel from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 48 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hallel 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 Hallel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hallels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hallel
The name Hallel has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew root word "hillel," which means "to praise" or "to celebrate." The name is associated with songs of praise, particularly in religious contexts.
Hallel is also the name given to a specific set of psalms (psalms 113-118) that are recited on various Jewish holidays and festivals as expressions of joy and thanksgiving. These psalms are known collectively as the "Hallel" and are an integral part of Jewish liturgy.
The earliest recorded use of the name Hallel can be found in the Hebrew Bible, where it appears in the Book of Psalms. One of the most notable biblical figures with this name is Hallel ben Shallum, a priest who lived during the reign of King Zedekiah in the 6th century BCE.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hallel. One of the earliest was Hallel ben Eliakim, a renowned Jewish scholar who lived in the 8th century CE and authored a commentary on the Talmud.
In more recent times, Hallel Abramovich (1887-1976) was a prominent Zionist leader and one of the founders of the Histadrut, the General Organization of Workers in Israel.
Hallel Arieli (1936-2005) was an Israeli songwriter and composer known for his contributions to popular Hebrew music.
Hallel Rabin (born 1976) is an Israeli lawyer and former member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) who served as the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset from 2015 to 2019.
Tragically, Hallel Yaffa Ariel (2006-2016) was a young Israeli girl who was tragically murdered in a terror attack in her home in Kiryat Arba, West Bank, at the age of 13.
The name Hallel continues to be popular in Jewish communities around the world, particularly in Israel, where it is often chosen for its religious and cultural significance, representing the idea of praise and celebration.
People
Hallel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hallel 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
Hallel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hallel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 111 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hallel 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 3,087,877 US residents.
Is Hallel a common name?
We classify Hallel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 112 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hallel most popular?
The single biggest year for Hallel was 2023, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hallel is about 10 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 Hallel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hallel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hallel in the SSA data are female. 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 Hallel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hallel 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 Hallel 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 have Hallel as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.