Hoyal
A masculine name of uncertain origin and meaning, possibly derived from a surname.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Hoyal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hoyal today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hoyal births was 1936 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hoyal. 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 Hoyal is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Hoyals were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hoyal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1936
6 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1941 SSA rank
#3,745
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Hoyal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hoyal from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, 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
Hoyal 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 Hoyal 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 Hoyal
The given name Hoyal has its roots in the ancient Germanic languages. It is believed to have originated from the Old High German word 'hoyal', meaning 'noble' or 'high-born'. The name is thought to have first emerged during the early medieval period, around the 6th to 8th centuries AD, when the various Germanic tribes were spreading across Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hoyal can be found in the Hildebrandslied, an Old High German heroic song dating back to around the 9th century. In this epic poem, a character named Hoyal is mentioned as a warrior and companion of the legendary hero Hildebrand.
During the Middle Ages, the name Hoyal became particularly popular among the nobility and ruling classes in parts of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was seen as a proud and dignified name, reflecting the high social status of its bearers.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Hoyal von Rothenburg was a prominent knight and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade alongside the famous Richard the Lionheart. Hoyal von Rothenburg is mentioned in several historical chronicles of the time for his bravery and military exploits.
Another notable bearer of the name Hoyal was a 14th-century monk and scholar from the Duchy of Bavaria, known as Hoyal von Regensburg. He was renowned for his extensive writings on theology and philosophy, and his works were widely studied in monastic circles throughout medieval Europe.
In the 16th century, a Swiss painter and engraver named Hoyal Holbein the Younger gained fame for his intricate portrait paintings of royalty and nobility. Born in 1497, Hoyal Holbein spent much of his career as a court painter for King Henry VIII of England, producing iconic portraits of the king and his wives.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hoyal also appeared in literary works, such as the play "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe, where a character named Hoyal is mentioned as a scholar and companion of the infamous Doctor Faustus.
While the name Hoyal has become relatively uncommon in modern times, it still holds a rich historical legacy, reflecting the noble and distinguished connotations of its Germanic origins.
People
Hoyal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hoyal 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
Hoyal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hoyal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hoyal 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Hoyal a common name?
We classify Hoyal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% 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 Hoyal most popular?
The single biggest year for Hoyal was 1936, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hoyal is about 82 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 Hoyal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hoyal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hoyal 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 Hoyal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hoyal 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 Hoyal 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 called Hoyal?
You can see how many people have the name Hoyal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.