Given name & surname
Hale
“from the hall of light; a heroine”·“from the hall; a hero”
Hale is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “from the hall of light; a heroine” (English) and “from the hall; a hero” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “from the hall of light; a heroine” (English) and “from the hall; a hero” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Hale through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,296
- 1,282 boys · 14 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 30 babies
- 2025
- 13
- #6,584 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −18%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,584 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 17.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 30 in 1917. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,072 as a first name in 2020; 83,103 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hale’s family of names
Hale has a related form in Haile. Hale has a related form in Hayle. Hale has a related form in Haylen.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Haylenvariant
- Haelvariant
- Hailevariant
- Alevariant · English
- Haylevariant
- Hailvariant
- Haylanvariant
- Healvariant · English
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Hale
- Hale AsafTurkish painter (1905–1938)
- Hale BoggsAmerican politician (1914–1972)
- Hale ApplemanAmerican actorborn 1986
- Hale IrwinAmerican golferborn 1945
- Hale HamiltonAmerican actor (1879-1942)
- Hale SoygaziTurkish actress (born 1950)
- Hale WoodruffAfrican American artist (1900–1980)
- Hale SmithAmerican composer, music pedagogue, and jazz pianist (1925–2009)
- Hale TrotterCanadian mathematician1931–2022
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Hale, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Halton
“from the manor on the hill”
>99% boys
Harden
“from the hare's valley”
>99% boys
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Halstead
“from the manor grounds”
>99% boys
Hilton
“a wealthy woman” · “from the town on the hill”
85% boys · 15% girls
Parley
“one who negotiates” · “a reluctant man”
93% boys · 7% girls
Caldwell
“of the cold well” · “from the cold spring”
>99% boys
Carlyle
“from the fort at Luguvalium”
82% boys · 18% girls