Hilary , Hilarie or Hillary is a given name and surname , derived from the Latin hilarius meaning "cheerful", from hilaris , "cheerful, merry",[ 1] Greek ἱλαρός (hilaros ), "cheerful, merry",[ 2] hilaos ), "propitious, gracious".[ 3] Ilaria is the popular Italian feminine form, while Ilario is the Italian masculine one. Other male forms are Hilarion , Ilarion , and Illarion .
In the 1990s and first few decades of the twenty-first century, the name was strongly associated in the United States with Hillary Clinton . Its popularity for newborn American girls dropped rapidly during the beginning of her husband's presidency of the United States.[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
Notable men with the given name
Hilary the Deacon (fl. mid-4th century), churchman and theologianPope Hilarius or Hilary (died 468), Catholic pope and saintHilary of Arles , 5th-century bishop and saintHilary of Chichester (c. 1110–1169), bishop of ChichesterHilary of Galeata , 6th century hermitHilary of Poitiers or Saint Hilarius, 4th-century bishop and Church FatherHilary Benn (born 1953), British politicianHillary Bor (born 1989), Kenyan-American athleteHillary Butler (born 1971), American football playerHilary Davan Wetton (born 1943), British conductorHillary "Hilly" Hathaway (born 1969), American baseball playerHilary A. Herbert (1834–1919), American politicianHilary Jenkinson (1882–1961), British archivist and archival theoristHilary R. W. Johnson (1837–1901), 11th President of LiberiaHilary Jones (disambiguation) , multiple peopleHilary Knight (born 1926), author, illustratorHillary Makasa (born 1976), Zambian footballerHilary Marquand (1901−1972), British politicianHillary Menard (born 1934), Canadian ice hockey playerHilary Minster (1944–1999), British actorHilary Minc (1905−1974), Polish economist and politicianHillary Ngetich (born 1995), Kenyan middle-distance runnerHilary Putnam (1926−2016), American philosopherHilary Skarżyński (1925–1987), Polish ice hockey playerHillary Waugh (1920–2008), American novelistHillary Yego (born 1992), Kenyan steeplechase runnerHilary Hinton Ziglar or Zig Ziglar (1926–2012), motivational speaker
Notable women with the given name
Hilary (musician) (1950–2007), American singer-songwriterHilary Allcroft (born 1943), English writer, producer and directorHilary Armstrong (born 1945), British politicianHilary Barry , New Zealand television journalistHilary Bell (disambiguation) , multiple peopleHilary Bok (born 1950), American academic and writerHilary Bonner (born 1950), British writerHillary Brooke (1914–1999), American actressHilarie Burton (born 1982), American actress/producerHillary Carlip (born 1956), American novelistHillary Rodham Clinton (born 1947), American senator and Secretary of State 2009–2013Hilary Cruz (born 1988), American actress, model and beauty queenHilary Devey (1957–2022), English businesswoman and television personalityHilary du Pré (born 1942), British musicianHilary Duff (born 1987), American actress and singerHilary Hahn (born 1979), American violinistHillary Howard , American reporterHillary Pugh Kent , American politicianHilary Knight (born 1989), American ice hockey playerHilary Lapsley (born 1949), New Zealand author and psychologistHilarie Lindsay (1922–2021), Australian toy manufacturer and writerHillary Lindsey , country music songwriterHilarie Mais (born 1952), British/Australian artistHilary Mantel (1952–2022), British novelistHilary D. Marston , American physician-scientist and global health policy advisorHilaree Nelson (1972–2022), American ski mountaineerHilary Ockendon , British mathematicianHilary Pecis (born 1979), American artistHilary B. Price (born 1969), creator of the comic strip Rhymes with Orange Hillary Raphael (born 1976), American novelistHilary Rhoda (born 1987), American modelHillary Scholten (born 1982), American politicianHillary Scott (born 1986), American singer-songwriterHillary Scott , (born 1983) American pornographic actressHilarie Sidney , American musicianHillary B. Smith (born 1957), American actressHillary Super , American business executiveHilary Swank (born 1974), American actressHilary Swarts , American wildlife biologistHillary Tuck (born 1978), American actressHilary Van Dyke (born 1970), American actress and singerHillary Wolf (born 1977), American child actress and Olympic Judoka
People with this family name
Fictional characters
Captain Hilary Duff, a character from the TV series, The High Life
Hillary, a recurring character in the TV series Kyle XY
Hilary Banks , in the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Hilary Becker, a captain in the TV series Primeval
Hilary Briss, part of the comedy quartet The League of Gentlemen
Hilary Burde, the first-person narrator of Iris Murdoch's A Word Child
Hilary Curtis in the soap opera The Young and the Restless Hilary Friedman, in the film Blended
Hilary Norm Peterson , in the TV series Cheers
Hilary Robinson , a character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours Hilary Tachibana , in the Beyblade Hillary Whitney, protagonist in the 1988 movie Beaches
Hillary the Owl, a female Great Grey Owl from Jim Henson's Animal Show
See also
References
^ hilaris , Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary , on Perseus^ ἱλαρός , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon , on Perseus^ ἵλαος , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon , on Perseus^ Parker, Hilary (2013-01-30). "Hilary: the most poisoned baby name in US history" . Hilary Parker . Retrieved 2023-11-16 .^ Ingraham, Christopher (2021-11-25). "The Clintons ruined the name 'Hillary' for new parents" . Washington Post . ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-11-16 . ^ "Hillary - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity" . Nameberry . Retrieved 2023-11-16 .
