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Boy · Latin, from Greek
Hilarius
Say it: hih-LAIR-ee-us
Meaning
From Latin hilaris 'cheerful', from Greek hilaros.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
A late Roman Christian name; in English, Hilary was mainly a man's name until the 20th century.
Its wave through time
No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.
Through the ages
- Ancient Rome750 BC to AD 476
- The Early Middle Ages400 to 800
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
Used by
The family of the name
| English | Hilary |
|---|---|
| Italian | Ilario |
| Spanish | Hilario |
| French | Hilaire |
Famous bearers
- St. Hilary of Poitiers
- Pope Hilarius
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- Calendars of saints and name days
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.