Hiley
A feminine name of English origin meaning "peaceful, tranquil meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 42 living Americans carry the first name Hiley. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hiley today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hiley births was 2003 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hiley. 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 Hiley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
42
~ 1 in 8,160,818 Americans
Peak year
2003
6 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,143
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Hiley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hiley from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 21 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
Hiley 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 Hiley 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 Hiley
The given name Hiley has its roots in the Old English language, originating from the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, spanning from the 5th to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hyll," which means "hill" or "elevated land." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or near a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hiley can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings in England compiled in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Hileloc," which is thought to be a variation of Hiley.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hiley. One such person was Hiley Addington (1564-1637), an English politician and Member of Parliament who served during the reign of King James I. Another was Hiley Baskerville (1670-1748), a British lawyer and judge known for his work in establishing legal precedents.
In the realm of literature, Hiley Fielding (1707-1754) was an English novelist and dramatist, best known for his works "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" and "Amelia." His satirical novels were instrumental in shaping the development of the English novel in the 18th century.
Moving into the 19th century, Hiley Ballantyne (1819-1888) was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He founded the publishing firm Ballantyne Books and was a prominent figure in the literary and cultural circles of Montreal.
More recently, Hiley Doherty (1937-2019) was an American author and journalist who wrote extensively on topics related to environmental conservation and sustainable living. Her book "Toward a Sustainable Community" was widely acclaimed for its insightful analysis of community-based solutions to environmental challenges.
While the name Hiley may not be as common as it once was, it carries a rich history and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, contributing to the cultural and intellectual fabric of their respective societies.
People
Hiley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hiley 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
Hiley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hiley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 42 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hiley 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 8,160,818 US residents.
Is Hiley a common name?
We classify Hiley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 42 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hiley most popular?
The single biggest year for Hiley was 2003, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hiley is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hiley a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hiley 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.