Hilary (name)

Hilary (name)

Hilary or Hillary is a given and family name, derived from the Latin hilarius meaning "cheerful", from hilaris, "cheerful, merry" which comes from the Greek ἱλαρός (hilaros), "cheerful, merry", which in turn comes from ἵλαος (hilaos), "propitious, gracious". Historically (in America), the spelling Hilary has generally been used for men and Hillary for women, though there are exceptions, some of which are noted below. In modern times it has drastically declined in popularity as a name for men. Ilaria is the popular Italian and Spanish form. Ilariana and Ylariana (/aɪˌlɑːriˈɑːnə/eye-LAH--ree-AH-nə) are two very rare feminine variants of the name.