Hillie
A feminine diminutive of the Hebrew name Hillel, meaning "praiseworthy" or "cheerful".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Hillie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hillie today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hillie births was 1927 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hillie. 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 Hillie is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hillies were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hillie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1927
6 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1947 SSA rank
#3,973
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Hillie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hillie from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hillie 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 Hillie 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 Hillie
The name Hillie originates from the Old English language, which was spoken in England from the 5th to the 11th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hyll," which means "hill" or "raised ground." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone who lived on or near a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hillie can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The record mentions a person named Hillie who was a landowner in the county of Somerset.
In the Middle Ages, the name Hillie gained some popularity among the English aristocracy. Notable historical figures with this name include Hillie of Wessex (c. 990-1050), a noblewoman and landowner who was a prominent figure in the court of King Canute the Great.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hillie appears to have been more commonly used among the merchant class and artisans. One notable bearer of the name was Hillie Smythe (c. 1520-1585), a successful merchant and trader from Bristol who played a significant role in establishing trade routes between England and the Americas.
In the 17th century, the name Hillie gained prominence in literary circles. Hillie Browne (1605-1669) was an English poet and playwright who wrote several popular works during the Elizabethan era.
Moving into the 18th century, Hillie Fielding (1707-1754) was a renowned English novelist and playwright best known for his works "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" and "Amelia." His novels are considered classics of English literature and have had a lasting impact on the development of the novel as a literary form.
While the name Hillie has seen a decline in popularity in recent times, it remains an important part of English cultural heritage and continues to be used, particularly in certain regions of the United Kingdom.
People
Hillie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hillie 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
Hillie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hillie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hillie 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Hillie a common name?
We classify Hillie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hillie most popular?
The single biggest year for Hillie was 1927, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hillie is about 90 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 Hillie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hillie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hillie 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 Hillie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hillie 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 Hillie 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 share the name Hillie?
Find out how many Americans are named Hillie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.