Hillory
A feminine name derived from the French name "Hilaire," meaning cheerful or merry.
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Hillory. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 84.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Hillory today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hillory births was 1978 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hillory. 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 Hillory. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
1978
7 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1914 SSA rank
#3,482
Tracked since 1914
Gender
Gender distribution for Hillory
Hillory leans heavily female at 84.4% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Hillory as a male name
- Ranked #3,482 in 1914
- 5 male births in 1914
- Peak: 1914 (5 births)
Hillory as a female name
- Ranked #11,091 in 1982
- 5 female births in 1982
- Peak: 1978 (7 births)
Popularity
Hillory: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hillory from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 17 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Hillory remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hillory 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 Hillory 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 Hillory
The name Hillory has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the 5th century. It is derived from the words "hil" meaning "hill" and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "powerful." The name is believed to have originated in the Anglo-Saxon regions of what is now England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hillory is found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Hillaric," referring to a landowner in the county of Shropshire.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Hillory of Poitiers emerged as a prominent scholar and theologian. He was born in Poitiers, France, in 1115 and died in 1169. He is known for his contributions to the development of scholastic theology and his teachings at the University of Paris.
During the 13th century, the name Hillory gained popularity in England. Sir Hillory de Bohun, born in 1208, was a prominent English nobleman and military commander who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III. He played a significant role in the events leading up to the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hillory of Ely, born in 1430, became a renowned English architect and master mason. He is credited with the design and construction of several churches and cathedrals, including the iconic King's College Chapel in Cambridge.
Another historical figure bearing the name Hillory is Hillory Jones, born in 1598 in Wales. He was a prominent Welsh clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Bangor from 1636 until his death in 1652. He is recognized for his contributions to the translation of the Bible into Welsh.
While the name Hillory has its roots in Old English, it has evolved over time and has been used across different cultures and regions. Despite its historical significance, it is now considered a relatively uncommon name in modern times.
People
Hillory + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hillory 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
Hillory: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hillory?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hillory 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Hillory a common name?
We classify Hillory as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hillory most popular?
The single biggest year for Hillory was 1978, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hillory is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hillory a female name?
Yes, 84.4% of people registered as Hillory 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.