Hidi
A Hebrew-origin name possibly meaning "praiseworthy" or "precious".
Name Census estimates that about 52 living Americans carry the first name Hidi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hidi today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hidi births was 1980 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hidi. 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 Hidi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
52
~ 1 in 6,591,430 Americans
Peak year
1980
8 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1982 SSA rank
#7,717
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Hidi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hidi from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 41 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Hidi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hidi 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 Hidi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hidi
The name Hidi is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages that flourished in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500 BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sumerian word "hidi," which translates to "joy" or "happiness." This suggests that the name Hidi may have been given to children as a symbol of the joy they brought to their families.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hidi can be found in the Sumerian King List, an ancient manuscript that chronicles the rulers of various Sumerian city-states. There, it is mentioned that a ruler named Hidi governed the city of Kish around 2600 BCE, though little is known about their reign.
In ancient Mesopotamian mythology, Hidi is also the name of a minor goddess associated with joy and celebration. While not one of the major deities, her presence in the pantheon further reinforces the name's connection to happiness and joy.
During the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626-539 BCE), the name Hidi appears in several cuneiform tablets and inscriptions, suggesting that it remained in use among the Babylonians who inherited the cultural legacy of the Sumerians.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Hidi was a renowned Babylonian astronomer and mathematician who lived around 500 BCE. His contributions to the study of the heavens and the development of mathematics were significant, though few details about his personal life have survived.
In the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, composed between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE, there is a character named Hidi who is described as a wise and knowledgeable sage. This portrayal further solidifies the name's association with wisdom and learning.
During the Byzantine Empire (330-1453 CE), there was a notable scholar and philosopher named Hidi who lived in the 6th century CE. He is credited with writing several treatises on philosophy and logic, though few of his works have survived to modern times.
Another historical figure named Hidi was a skilled architect who lived in the 11th century CE in the city of Córdoba, which was part of the Caliphate of Córdoba in modern-day Spain. He is known for designing several impressive mosques and palaces that showcased the intricate and ornate architectural styles of the time.
People
Hidi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hidi 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
Hidi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hidi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 52 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hidi 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 6,591,430 US residents.
Is Hidi a common name?
We classify Hidi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 57 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hidi most popular?
The single biggest year for Hidi was 1980, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hidi is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hidi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hidi 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.