Hildagarde
A feminine name of Germanic origin meaning "battle guard" or "battle ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Hildagarde. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hildagarde today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hildagarde births was 1916 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hildagarde. 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
- • The typical person named Hildagarde is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hildagardes were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hildagarde. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1916
17 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1940 SSA rank
#4,056
Tracked since 1898
Popularity
Hildagarde: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hildagarde from the 1890s through to the 1940s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 79 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hildagarde 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 Hildagarde during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hildagardes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hildagarde
The name Hildagarde is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old High German elements "hildi" meaning "battle" and "gard" meaning "enclosure" or "fortified place." It can be translated to mean "battle enclosure" or "fortified battle." The name dates back to the Middle Ages, likely emerging around the 5th or 6th century CE.
Hildagarde was a popular name among the Franks and other Germanic tribes that settled in regions of modern-day France, Germany, and the Low Countries. It was often given to girls born into noble or warrior families, reflecting the martial connotations of the name's meaning.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hildagarde can be found in the Frankish Royal Annals, which mention a Princess Hildagarde who lived in the 8th century CE. She was the daughter of King Childeric III, the last Merovingian ruler of the Franks.
St. Hildagarde of Bingen (1098-1179) was a renowned German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, and visionary. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of the High Middle Ages and is revered as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
Hildagarde of Vintzgau (757-783) was a Frankish noblewoman and the second wife of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor. She bore Charlemagne three children, including two sons who became kings of the Franks.
Hildagarde of Burgos (1109-1170) was a Spanish noblewoman and the wife of King Alfonso VII of León and Castile. She played a significant role in the political affairs of her husband's realm and was known for her patronage of the arts and learning.
Hildagarde of Bavaria (880-949) was a German noblewoman and the wife of Arnulf of Bavaria, a prominent Duke of the Carolingian dynasty. She was renowned for her piety and charitable works, and several religious institutions were founded under her patronage.
While the name Hildagarde fell out of widespread use in more recent centuries, it has maintained its historical significance and is still occasionally bestowed, particularly in parts of Europe with strong Germanic cultural influences.
People
Hildagarde + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hildagarde 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
Hildagarde: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hildagarde?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hildagarde 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Hildagarde a common name?
We classify Hildagarde as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 206 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hildagarde most popular?
The single biggest year for Hildagarde was 1916, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hildagarde is about 94 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 Hildagarde in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hildagarde a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hildagarde 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 Hildagarde still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hildagarde 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 Hildagarde 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 Hildagarde as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Hildagarde on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.