Unisex name · since 1914
Hilary
Since 1914, U.S. Social Security records show 24,171 babies named Hilary, peaking in 1990. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #937 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5,258 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 24,171
- born since 1914
- 1980s
- peak decade
Hilary currently ranks #5258 among unisex names in America, with 24,171 babies recorded since 1914.
Social Security Administration records show Hilary recorded 24,171 times among girls since 1914, holding rank #5258 nationally today, ahead of 70% of girls, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 2025.
- #937 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #5,258 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 24,171 born since 1914
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Hilary ranks #937 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,258 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 24,171 born since 1914, peaking in the 1980s.
- #937 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #5,258 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 24,171
- born since 1914
- 1980s
- peak decade
Hilary's 24,171 recorded births place it above 98.7% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Hilary compares
24,171 Top 6% higher than 94% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Hilary's all-time total is 64x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Hilary | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 24,171 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,217 | 21 | 19,840 |
Hilary's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Hilary's SSA record in two at 1974 and the more recent half accounts for 77% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 23%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1914, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1990 peak of 1,217, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Hilary popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 1,217
- Annual births at peak, across 112 years of records
Hilary popularity over time - boys
2,197 total births recorded since 1882 (Hilary as boys' name)
Hilary by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (8,337 births, 34% of the file).
1980s was Hilary's strongest decade.
8,337 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Hilary births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 20
1910s
20 births
- 1920s 38
1920s
38 births
- 1930s 77
1930s
77 births
- 1940s 424
1940s
424 births
- 1950s 1,289
1950s
1,289 births
- 1960s 2,411
1960s
2,411 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,951 births
- 1980s
1980s
8,337 births
- 1990s
1990s
4,553 births
- 2000s 1,362
2000s
1,362 births
- 2010s 501
2010s
501 births
- 2020s 208
2020s
208 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 8,337 births (34% of all-time use).
How Hilary compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Hilary's total volume
Hilary by state
Where Hilary concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,291 | 13.6% |
| #2 | New York | | 2,119 | 8.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 1,397 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 1,154 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,019 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 918 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 889 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 819 | 3.4% |
3,291 of 24,171 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Hilary appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Hilary? ▼
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When was Hilary most popular? ▼
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What to do with Hilary's data
- Hilary's decade-level peak was the 1980s (8,337 total births); usage has since declined to 208 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Hilarys (3,291 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Hilary
Nearby Names Like Hilary
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hilary
Compare Hilary side by side: Hilary vs Hilda Hilary vs Hillary Hilary vs Hilma
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Hilary
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Hilary: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1990)
Similar record span (~111 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Hilary draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.