Hyle
A Greek name meaning "matter" or "material substance".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Hyle. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hyle today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hyle births was 1919 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hyle. 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 Hyle. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1919
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1919 SSA rank
#4,461
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Hyle: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hyle 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 Hyle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hyle
The name Hyle is derived from the Greek word "hyle," which means "matter" or "substance." This term was used by ancient Greek philosophers, particularly in the context of natural philosophy and cosmology. The name likely emerged during the classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th or 4th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Hyle can be found in the works of Aristotle, the renowned Greek philosopher who lived from 384 to 322 BCE. Aristotle discussed the concept of hyle in his philosophical writings, particularly in his work on metaphysics. He used the term to refer to the primordial matter or substance that underlies all physical objects.
In ancient Greek mythology, Hyle was also the name of a nymph associated with the forests and woodlands. She was said to be the daughter of the sea god Nereus and the Oceanid Doris. This mythological connection may have influenced the use of the name Hyle in ancient Greek culture.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Hyle was Hyle of Boeotia, a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE. He was a follower of the Cynic school of philosophy and is mentioned in the writings of ancient authors such as Diogenes Laertius.
Another notable figure named Hyle was Hyle of Rhodes, a Greek astronomer and mathematician who lived in the 2nd century BCE. He is credited with developing an improved sundial and contributing to the understanding of celestial mechanics.
In the 1st century CE, there was a Greek grammarian named Hyle who wrote commentaries on the works of ancient poets like Homer and Pindar. His works were widely studied and influenced the development of literary criticism in the ancient world.
During the Byzantine era, Hyle became a more common name among Greek Christians. One notable bearer was Hyle of Thessalonica, a monk and hagiographer who lived in the 9th century CE. He wrote several biographies of saints and contributed to the preservation of religious literature.
While the name Hyle has its origins in ancient Greek culture, it has been used across various time periods and regions. For example, there was a French philosopher named Hyle de Gand, who lived in the 13th century CE and was known for his writings on metaphysics and natural philosophy.
People
Hyle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hyle 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
Hyle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hyle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hyle 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 Hyle a common name?
We classify Hyle 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 Hyle most popular?
The single biggest year for Hyle was 1919, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hyle 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 Hyle in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hyle a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hyle 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 Hyle still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hyle 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 Hyle 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 have Hyle as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.