Hilary is the English form of Hilarius and Hilaria, both an Ancient Roman name meaning “happy, cheerful” from Latin hilaris via Ancient Greek hilarós from hílaos (gracious, merciful; kind, mild, gentle) deriving from a Proto-Indo-European root word. Hilary was once a very popular male name before becoming more common for women in the 20th century. Hilary is also a surname originating from the given name.
Origin: Proto-Indo-European
Female forms:
- Hillary (English)
- Hilarie (English)
- Hilari (English)
- Hilaria (Ancient Roman)
- Ilaria (Italian)
Male forms:
- Hilarius (Ancient Roman)
- Hilarion (Ancient Greek)
- Ilarion (Bulgarian, Macedonian)
- Illarion (Russian)
- Hillar (Estonian)
- Ilari (Finnish, Russian)
- Hilaire (French)
- Ilario (Italian)
- Ealair (Scottish)
- Ellar (Scottish)
- Ilar (Welsh)
Names Throughout the Ages 