Hillel
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "praise" or "extol".
Name Census estimates that about 1,303 living Americans carry the first name Hillel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hillel today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hillel births was 2019 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hillel. 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.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 263,050 Americans
Peak year
2019
47 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,284
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Hillel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hillel from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 306 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hillel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hillel 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 Hillel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hillels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, New Jersey, California recorded the most babies named Hillel, while Maryland, California, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 203 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hillel
The name Hillel originates from the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew root word "halal" which means to praise or celebrate. The name can be traced back to ancient times, with its earliest known use dating back to the Biblical era.
One of the most prominent historical figures associated with the name Hillel is the famous Jewish scholar and philosopher Hillel the Elder, who lived from around 110 BCE to 10 CE. He is renowned for his influential teachings and his role in the development of the Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Hillel the Elder is often referred to as one of the greatest sages in Jewish history.
Another notable figure with the name Hillel is Hillel ben Gamaliel II, a Jewish patriarch who lived in the 4th century CE. He was an influential leader of the Jewish community in Judea and played a crucial role in the compilation of the Jerusalem Talmud, a central text in Jewish religious literature.
In the 12th century, there was a Jewish philosopher and rabbi named Hillel ben Samuel, who was born in Verona, Italy, and is known for his contributions to the field of Jewish ethics and philosophy.
In more recent history, Hillel Kook, born in 1915 and died in 2001, was an Israeli rabbi and prominent figure in the Religious Zionist movement. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1964 to 1983.
Another notable person named Hillel is Hillel Butman, a South African-born Israeli conductor and composer who was born in 1925 and passed away in 2022. He was widely recognized for his contributions to Israeli classical music and his work in promoting cultural exchange between Israel and other nations.
While the name Hillel has its roots in the Hebrew language and Jewish culture, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and communities around the world, particularly in areas with significant Jewish populations or influence.
People
Hillel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hillel 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
Hillel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hillel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,303 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hillel 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 263,050 US residents.
Is Hillel a common name?
We classify Hillel as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,428 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hillel most popular?
The single biggest year for Hillel was 2019, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hillel is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hillel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hillel 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.
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.