Hillary comes from the Latin name Hilarius, derived from hilaris, and means "cheerful"; it was a man's name in the Middle Ages, borne by Saint Hilary of Poitiers, and became mainly feminine in the English-speaking world in the 20th century. Its best known American bearer is Hillary Clinton, former senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate. Hillary ranked number 877 in 2000 and number 722 in 2008, but has since left the top 1000 and stood at number 2592 in 2025 with 67 girls.