Given name & surname · also American
Hall
“one who is distinguished”·“from the manor”
Hall is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “one who is distinguished” (American) and “from the manor” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one who is distinguished” (American) and “from the manor” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with American and English naming traditions.
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.
Hall through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 877
- 877 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 33 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #10,046 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 10,046 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 33 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 719 as a first name in 2020; 470,080 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.
Hall’s family of names
In English usage, Hall as a surname has a nickname in Hally. In English usage, Hall as a surname shares a linguistic root with the Swedish form Häll. Hall has a related form in Haul.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Hall
- Hall BartlettAmerican filmmaker (1922-1993)
- Hall S. LuskAmerican politician (1883-1983)
- Hall JohnsonAmerican composer and arranger (1888–1970)
- Hall Overtonmusician, composer, music teacher (1920–1972)
- Hall HibbardAmerican aerospace engineer (1903–1996)
- Hall J. KelleyAmerican explorer (1790-1874)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hall, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hale
“from the hall of light; a heroine” · “from the hall; a hero”
>99% boys
Halton
“from the manor on the hill”
>99% boys
Harden
“from the hare's valley”
>99% boys
Hilton
“a wealthy woman” · “from the town on the hill”
85% boys · 15% girls
Halstead
“from the manor grounds”
>99% boys
Harry
“the ruler of an army” · “home”
>99% boys
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Caldwell
“of the cold well” · “from the cold spring”
>99% boys