Hallie began as a pet form of Harriet and Henrietta, the feminine names of Henry, so it shares their meaning "home ruler"; it is also read as a spelling of Hayley, "hay meadow". Its friendly, old-fashioned sound fits in with Hattie, Millie and Josie. Hallie ranked number 297 in 2000, dipped to number 576 in 2016 and then surged to number 120 in 2025, its best rank this century.