Hally
A modern feminine name of uncertain meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 665 living Americans carry the first name Hally. It is a predominantly female name (99.3% of registrations). The average person named Hally today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hally births was 2000 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hally. 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
665
~ 1 in 515,420 Americans
Peak year
2000
29 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
1916 SSA rank
#4,170
Tracked since 1916
Gender
Gender distribution for Hally
Out of the 707 babies given the name Hally since 1880, 99.3% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Hally as a male name
- Ranked #4,170 in 1916
- 5 male births in 1916
- Peak: 1916 (5 births)
Hally as a female name
- Ranked #9,121 in 2024
- 11 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2000 (29 births)
Popularity
Hally: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hally from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 218 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hally 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 Hally during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hallys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hally
The name Hally is believed to have originated from the Old English language, specifically in the regions of England and Wales during the medieval period. It is thought to be a diminutive form of the name Halldora, which is derived from the Old Norse words "hallr" meaning "rock" and "dora" meaning "gift".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hally can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Hally de Cawston, residing in the village of Cawston, Norfolk.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Hally de Baskerville was a Norman knight who accompanied King Richard I on the Third Crusade. Hally is mentioned in several chronicles of the time as a valiant warrior who fought alongside the King during the siege of Acre in 1191.
During the Renaissance period, Hally Willoughby (1472-1528) was a prominent English courtier who served under King Henry VII and King Henry VIII. She was known for her influential role in the royal court and her patronage of the arts.
In the 17th century, Hally Parnell (1637-1705) was an English poet and satirist who gained recognition for his biting political commentary. His works, such as "An Essay on the Different Styles of Poetry" and "The Life and Death of the Ever-blessed Jesus Christ," earned him a reputation as one of the leading literary figures of his time.
Another notable figure with the name Hally was Hally Tonna (1789-1854), a renowned English writer and philanthropist. She was a prolific author of religious and moral works, including "Personal Recollections" and "Hints on the Formation of Religious Opinions". Tonna was also actively involved in various charitable organizations, advocating for the welfare of the poor and underprivileged.
People
Hally + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hally 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
Hally: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hally?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 665 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hally 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 515,420 US residents.
Is Hally a common name?
We classify Hally as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 707 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hally most popular?
The single biggest year for Hally was 2000, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hally is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hally a female name?
Yes, 99.3% of people registered as Hally 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.
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.