Hyperion
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "he who goes before the sun".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Hyperion. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hyperion today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hyperion births was 2022 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hyperion. 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 Hyperion. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2022
6 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,389
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Hyperion: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hyperion 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 Hyperion during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hyperion
The given name Hyperion has its origins in ancient Greek mythology and language. It is derived from the Greek words "hyper," meaning "over" or "above," and "ion," a participle meaning "to go." Together, the name can be interpreted as "the one who goes above" or "the high one."
In Greek mythology, Hyperion was one of the Titans, primordial deities who ruled before the Olympian gods. He was the Titan of light and was often associated with the sun. As the son of Gaia (Earth) and Ouranos (Sky), he was one of the first beings to emerge after the creation of the cosmos.
The name Hyperion appears in various ancient Greek texts, including Hesiod's "Theogony," a famous work detailing the genealogy of the Greek gods. It is also mentioned in Homer's epic poems, the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey," further solidifying its place in Greek mythology and literature.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Hyperion was a Greek mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 2nd century BCE. He is credited with creating the first known model of the universe, which placed the Earth at the center and the Sun, Moon, and planets revolving around it.
In the 16th century, the name Hyperion gained popularity among Renaissance scholars and humanists who admired classical Greek culture. A notable figure from this period was Hyperion Capys, an Italian humanist and philosopher born in 1515, who wrote extensively on topics such as education and morality.
In the 19th century, the English Romantic poet John Keats immortalized the name Hyperion in his unfinished epic poem of the same title. The poem depicts the fall of the Titans and the rise of the Olympian gods, with Hyperion serving as a central figure.
Other notable individuals named Hyperion throughout history include Hyperion Trismegistus, a Greek alchemist and philosopher from the 3rd century CE, and Hyperion Ridley, an English clergyman and writer born in 1653.
While the name Hyperion has its roots in ancient Greek mythology, it has transcended its original cultural context and has been used across various societies and time periods, often reflecting an appreciation for classical literature and a fascination with celestial bodies and the cosmos.
People
Hyperion + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hyperion 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
Hyperion: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hyperion?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hyperion 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Hyperion a common name?
We classify Hyperion as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hyperion most popular?
The single biggest year for Hyperion was 2022, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hyperion is about 4 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 Hyperion in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hyperion a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hyperion 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 Hyperion still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hyperion 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 Hyperion 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 the name Hyperion?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.