How Many People Are Named Hilary?
An estimated 22,760 people in the United States have the first name Hilary. It is predominantly female (91.7%). The average bearer is 44 years old, and Hilary peaked in popularity in 1990 with 1,225 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Hilary as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Hilary paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Hilary has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
22,760
About 1 in 15,060 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
91.7% confidence
Average Age
44
years old
Peak Year
1990
1,225 births
Total Registered
26,341
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Hilary
Hilary is predominantly female (91.7%), though 2,197 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Hilary as a male name
Ranked #12,872 in 2018
5 male births in 2018
Peak: 1924 (53 births)
Hilary as a female name
Ranked #4,132 in 2024
35 female births in 2024
Peak: 1990 (1,217 births)
Hilary: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Hilary span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 8,448 babies were registered. Hilary has declined significantly from its peak in the 1980s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Hilary by Decade
How has Hilary tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Hilary by State
Birth registrations for Hilary span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Hawaii, Wyoming, North Dakota. On average, about 415 Hilarys were registered per state.
Hilary + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Hilary as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Hilary
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
Hilary: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hilary?
We estimate approximately 22,760 people named Hilary are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 15,060 Americans share this first name.
Is Hilary a common name?
Hilary is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 26,341 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Hilary most popular?
Hilary reached peak popularity in 1990, when 1,225 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Hilary is approximately 44 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Hilary a female name?
Hilary is predominantly female. 91.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Hilary Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Hilary Smith, Hilary Johnson, Hilary Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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