Hilda
A short form of Germanic names containing hild, meaning battle, such as Hildegard. A seventh-century abbess of Whitby bore the Old English form Hild.
Hilda in 2025
Hilda was given to 55 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 5,296th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 60,279 babies born.
The history of Hilda
Hilda reached its highest point in 1921, when 2,137 babies were given the name, ranking 210th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 118th, in 1899.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 81,200 babies have been named Hilda. Half of them were born before 1926, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Hilda by decade
| Decade | Babies named Hilda | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,280 | 210 |
| 1890s | 4,732 | 118 |
| 1900s | 6,790 | 121 |
| 1910s | 15,707 | 148 |
| 1920s | 18,251 | 210 |
| 1930s | 9,492 | 295 |
| 1940s | 7,572 | 398 |
| 1950s | 6,313 | 542 |
| 1960s | 3,596 | 812 |
| 1970s | 2,587 | 996 |
| 1980s | 1,927 | 1,185 |
| 1990s | 1,362 | 1,882 |
| 2000s | 827 | 2,719 |
| 2010s | 448 | 4,725 |
| 2020s | 316 | 5,013 |
Where Hilda is heading
Hilda has risen 12% over the past decade, from 49 babies in 2015 to 55 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1921 peak — Hilda is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Hilda
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Hilda.