Given name & surname
Hillel
“one who is praised”
Hillel is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who is praised.”
Original Hebrewהלל
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “one who is praised.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Hillel appears in Judges 12:12.
From biblical name research
Hillel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,453
- 1,453 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 47 babies
- 2025
- 25
- #4,178 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +13%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 25 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,178 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 47 in 2019. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,075 as a first name in 2020; 184 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.
Hillel’s family of names
Hillel has a related form in Hilel. Hillel has a related form in Hilell. Hillel has a related form in Hillell.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Hillel
- Hillel the ElderJewish religious leader of the 1st century100 BC–100
- Hillel SlovakIsraeli-American musician (1962–1988)
- Hillel FurstenbergGerman-born US–Israeli mathematicianborn 1935
- Hillel KookRevisionist Zionist activist and politician (1915-2001)
- Hillel ZeitlinPolish writer (1871–1942)
- Hillel CohenIsraeli historianborn 1961
- Hillel NeuerCanadian activistborn 1970
- Hillel ben SamuelSpanish-Italian rabbi1220–1295
- Hillel KonatéIvorian, French and Burkinabé footballerborn 1994
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hillel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hanniel
“God has been gracious”
>99% boys
Hazael
“God has seen”
77% boys · 23% girls
Ithiel
“God is with me”
>99% boys
Refael
Refael is a masculine given name from Hebrew. It is used in Asturian.
>99% boys
Berel
Berel is a masculine given name from Yiddish.
>99% boys
Hilkiah
“portion of Yah”
>99% boys
Jahleel
“wait for God” · “hope of God”
>99% boys
Jahdiel
“God makes glad” · “God gives joy”
>99% boys