Hillarey
A feminine name of Old English origin meaning "pleasant meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Hillarey. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hillarey today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hillarey births was 1992 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hillarey. 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 Hillarey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1992
7 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1992 SSA rank
#10,888
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Hillarey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hillarey 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 Hillarey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hillarey
The name Hillarey is an anglicized variation of the medieval French name Hilaire, which in turn derives from the Latin name Hilarius. Hilarius was a relatively common name among ancient Romans, originating from the Latin word "hilaris" meaning "cheerful" or "merry."
The name traces its roots back to the early days of Christianity, as it was borne by several notable saints and religious figures. One of the earliest and most famous was Saint Hilary of Poitiers (c. 300-368), a renowned theologian and Bishop of Poitiers in Gaul (modern-day France). He is remembered for his significant contributions to the development of Christian doctrine and his defense of Trinitarian theology against the Arian heresy.
Another notable bearer of the name was Pope Hilarius (461-468), who served as the Bishop of Rome in the 5th century. During his papacy, he sought to strengthen the authority of the Roman Church and played a pivotal role in resolving theological disputes related to the nature of Christ.
In the medieval period, the name Hilaire gained popularity across Europe, particularly in France and England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the anglicized spelling "Hillarey" can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest.
Throughout history, the name Hillarey has been borne by several notable individuals, including:
1. Hilary of Arles (c. 401-449), a bishop and saint venerated in the Catholic Church for his efforts in combating heresy and promoting orthodoxy.
2. Hilary of Chichester (c. 1109-1169), an English Augustinian canon and saint known for his ascetic lifestyle and miracles attributed to him.
3. Hilary Lisle (c. 1590-1641), an English nobleman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
4. Hilary Benn (born 1953), a British Labour Party politician and former Secretary of State for International Development.
5. Hilary Swank (born 1974), an American actress known for her Academy Award-winning performances in films such as "Boys Don't Cry" and "Million Dollar Baby."
While the name Hillarey has undergone various spellings and variations over the centuries, its connection to the Latin root "hilaris" and its association with religious figures and historical personalities have contributed to its enduring presence in various cultures and societies.
People
Hillarey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hillarey 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
Hillarey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hillarey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hillarey 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Hillarey a common name?
We classify Hillarey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hillarey most popular?
The single biggest year for Hillarey was 1992, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hillarey is about 33 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 Hillarey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hillarey a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hillarey 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 Hillarey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hillarey 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 Hillarey 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 Hillarey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.