Hilary (name)

Hilary or Hillary is a given and family name, derived from the Latin hilarius meaning "cheerful", from hilaris, "cheerful, merry"^[1] which comes from the Greek ἱλαρός (hilaros), "cheerful, merry",^[2] which in turn comes from ἵλαος (hilaos), "propitious, gracious".^[3] Ilaria is the popular Italian and Spanish feminine form, while Ilario is the Italian masculine one. Ilariana and Ylariana (/aɪˌlɑːriˈɑːnə/ eye-LAH--ree-AH-nə) are two very rare feminine variants of the name. Another male form is Hilarion.

Notable men with the given name

• Hilary the Deacon (fl. mid-4th century), churchman and theologian
• Hilarius, the poet (fl. 1125)
• Hilarius, prefect of Rome
• Hilarius, archbishop of Tarragona (Spain) in c. 402
• Hilarius of Aquileia or of Pannonia, saint, bishop of Aquileia, Italy, d c 284
• Pope Hilarius or Pope Hilary, a 5th-century pope
• Hilary of Arles or Saint Hilarius, 5th-century bishop
• Hilary of Chichester (c. 1110 – 1169), bishop of Chichester
• Hilary of Galeata, 6th century hermit
• Hilary of Poitiers or Saint Hilarius, 4th-century bishop and Church Father
• Hilary Knight (born 1926), author, illustrator
• Hilary Benn (born 1953), British politician
• Hilary Davan Wetton (born 1943) British conductor
• Hilary A. Herbert (1834–1919), American politician
• Hilary Jenkinson (1882–1961), British archivist and archival theorist
• Hilary Jones (disambiguation), multiple people
• Hilary Marquand (1901-1972), British politician
• Hilary Minster (1944–1999), British actor
• Hilary Putnam (1926-2016), American philosopher
• Hillary Makasa (born 1976), Zambian footballer
• Hillary Waugh (1920–2008), American novelist
• Hillary Yego (born 1992), Kenyan steeplechase runner
• Hilary Hinton Ziglar or Zig Ziglar (1926–2012), motivational speaker

Notable women with the given name

• Hilaria, daughter of Roman Emperor Zeno and saint in the Eastern Christian churches
• Hilary (musician) (1950–2007), American singer-songwriter
• Hilary Armstrong (born 1945), British politician
• Hilary Bell (disambiguation), multiple people
• Hilary Bok (born 1950), American academic and writer
• Hilary Bonner (born 1950), British writer
• Hillary Brooke (1914–1999), American actress
• Hilarie Burton (born 1982), American actress/producer
• Hillary Carlip (born 1956), American novelist
• Hillary Clinton (born 1947), American politician
• Hilary Cruz, Miss Teen USA 2007 from Colorado
• Hilary du Pré (born 1942), British musician
• Hilary Duff (born 1987), American actress and singer
• Hilary Hahn (born 1979), American violinist
• Hillary Howard, American reporter
• Hilary Knight (born 1989), American ice hockey player
• Hillary Lindsey, country music songwriter
• Hilary Mantel (born 1952), British novelist
• Hilary B. Price, creator of the comic strip Rhymes with Orange
• Hillary Raphael, American novelist
• Hilary Rhoda, American model
• Hillary Scott (disambiguation), multiple people
• Hillary B. Smith (born 1957), American actress
• Hilary Swank (born 1974), American actress
• Hillary Tuck (born 1978), American actress
• Hillary Wolf (born 1977), American child actress

People with this family name

• Sir Edmund Hillary (1919–2008), New Zealander mountaineer
• Jennifer Hilary (1942–2008), British actress
• Lynn Hilary (born 1982), Irish singer and guitarist
• Patrick Hillery (1923–2008), President of Ireland
• Peter Hillary (born 1954), Sir Edmund's son, New Zealander adventurer

Fictional characters

• Hilary Tachibana, a fictional character in the Beyblade anime series
• Hillary Norman "Norm" Peterson, Norm Peterson, a character in the TV series Cheers
• Hilary Briss, a character of the comedy quartet The League of Gentlemen
• Hilary Banks, character from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• Hilary Curtis, character from The Young and the Restless

See also

• Hilary (disambiguation)
• Saint-Hilaire (disambiguation)
• Hill (surname)
• Ilar and Eleri, Welsh forms of this name
• Ilaria
• Ilaria (given name)

References