Hilkiah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "portion of the Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Hilkiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hilkiah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hilkiah births was 2017 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hilkiah. 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 Hilkiah with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hilkiah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2017
8 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2019 SSA rank
#10,123
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Hilkiah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hilkiah 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 Hilkiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hilkiah
The name Hilkiah has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew words "helek" (portion) and "Yah" (a shortened form of the name Yahweh, meaning "God"), suggesting the meaning "portion of God" or "God is my portion."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hilkiah is found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles. Hilkiah was a high priest during the reign of King Josiah in the 7th century BCE. He played a pivotal role in the rediscovery of the Book of the Law, which led to religious reforms and a renewed emphasis on following the commandments and teachings of God.
In the 6th century BCE, another Hilkiah is mentioned in the Book of Ezra as one of the priests who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile. This Hilkiah was a descendant of the earlier high priest Hilkiah from the Book of Kings.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Hilkiah. One of the most famous was Hilkiah ben Shallum (born around 675 BCE), the high priest during the reign of King Josiah who discovered the Book of the Law in the Temple of Jerusalem, as mentioned in the Bible.
Another prominent figure was Hilkiah ben Galen (c. 110-180 CE), a Jewish scholar and Talmudic sage who lived in ancient Palestine during the Roman period. He is known for his contributions to the development of Jewish law and his teachings, which are recorded in the Mishnah.
In the 12th century, Hilkiah ben Abraham (c. 1120-1190) was a prominent French rabbi and scholar. He is best known for his work "Sefer ha-Hikkur" (Book of Laws and Principles), a comprehensive treatise on Jewish law and philosophy.
During the Renaissance period, Hilkiah ben David Trani (c. 1510-1588) was an Italian rabbi and scholar who served as the chief rabbi of Ferrara, Italy. He was renowned for his expertise in Jewish law and his numerous writings on various topics, including Talmudic commentaries and legal rulings.
In the 19th century, Hilkiah Crooke (1788-1877) was an English Wesleyan Methodist minister and author who wrote extensively on religious topics and served as the president of the Wesleyan Conference in 1854.
People
Hilkiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hilkiah 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
Hilkiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hilkiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hilkiah 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Hilkiah a common name?
We classify Hilkiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hilkiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Hilkiah was 2017, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hilkiah is about 8 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 Hilkiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hilkiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hilkiah in the SSA data are male. 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 Hilkiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hilkiah 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 Hilkiah 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 are named Hilkiah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.