Hilary

HIL-uh-ree

A name from Latin meaning cheerful or merry.

Meaning

Hilary comes from the Latin name Hilarius, from a word meaning cheerful, pleasant, or merry. The excerpts also connect it with St. Hilary of Poitiers, which helped spread the name in Christian usage.

Origin

Fun fact

The name appears in several forms across Europe, including Hilarius, Hilaire, Ilario, and Hilario.

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Confidence: sourced. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland, A list of Christian names, their derivatives, nicknames and equivalents in several languages.

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