Hilry
A feminine name with unclear origins, possibly a variant spelling of the name Hillary.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Hilry. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hilry today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hilry births was 1925 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hilry. 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 Hilry. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1925
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#4,530
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Hilry: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hilry 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 Hilry during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hilry
The given name Hilry is of uncertain origin, with no clear consensus among scholars on its linguistic roots or cultural background. Some theories suggest it may be a variation or derivative of more common names like Hillary or Hilary, but there is a lack of definitive historical evidence to support this claim.
Despite the ambiguity surrounding its etymology, there are a few scattered references to the name Hilry in various historical records and texts. One of the earliest known mentions dates back to the 12th century, where a monk named Hilry is listed as a scribe in a medieval manuscript from a monastery in northern France.
In the 16th century, there is a record of a Hilry Thompkins, a minor noble from England whose name appears in a land deed from the reign of King Henry VIII. However, beyond this brief mention, little is known about this individual's life or significance.
Moving forward to the 18th century, a Hilry Browne is documented as a merchant and trader in the British colonies of North America, particularly in the area of present-day Virginia. Browne is noted for his involvement in the tobacco trade and his business dealings with various Native American tribes.
Stepping into the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the name Hilry was Hilry Reston, a Scottish explorer and naturalist. Reston is renowned for his expeditions to the Amazonian rainforest, where he documented numerous plant and animal species previously unknown to Western science. He was born in 1812 and died in 1887.
In more recent times, one of the most prominent individuals with the name Hilry was Hilry Weston, an American author and journalist who lived from 1908 to 1994. Weston gained recognition for her insightful literary works, particularly her novels exploring themes of family dynamics and societal issues. Her most acclaimed novel, "The Burden of Memory," was a critically acclaimed bestseller and earned her several prestigious literary awards.
While the name Hilry may not be as widespread or well-documented as other more common names, its scattered appearances throughout history provide a glimpse into its unique and intriguing legacy. From scribes and nobles to explorers and authors, the individuals who bore this name have left their mark across various fields and eras, contributing to the rich tapestry of human experience.
People
Hilry + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hilry 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
Hilry: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hilry?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hilry 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 - US residents.
Is Hilry a common name?
We classify Hilry as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hilry most popular?
The single biggest year for Hilry was 1925, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hilry is about 0 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 Hilry in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hilry a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hilry 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 Hilry still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hilry 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 Hilry 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 Americans are named Hilry?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.