Hillary

Did you know?

A few things about Hillary you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Hillary

Hillary Brooke

American film actress (1914–1999)

Choose Hillary and your child shares a first name with Hillary Brooke, an American film actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Hillary, like who?” Hillary Brooke's Wikipedia article is available in 22 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Hillary Brooke on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: film screenshot - Clipping File:Hillary Brooke, Paul Cavanagh in The Woman in Green.jpg, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 23,981 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Hillary, 67 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Hillary would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryHillary first shows up in US birth records in 1888, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 137 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1992, when it ranked #132. Today it's #2,583, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowHillary was 3.3× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 7,205 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 23,981.
• 🚀TrendHillary has climbed 478 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #2,583. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 💬MeaningIn Greek, Hillary means “cheerful”. Our records link it to English, Greek and Latin roots.

About the name Hillary

Hillary is a girl name of English, Greek and Latin origin meaning “cheerful”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with H and ending in “-ary”. US birth records list Hillary for girls from 1922 to 2025, in 85 of those 104 years. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked #132 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,583, with 67 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek namesLatin names