Given name & surname
Hyman
“a giver of life”
Hyman is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “a giver of life.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “a giver of life.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In Jewish use, Hyman is used as a form of HyaM.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hyman through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,858
- 5,858 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 379 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 2014. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 379 in 1916. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 771 as a first name in 2020; 10,708 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.
Hyman’s family of names
In English usage, Hyman has a short form in Hy. Hyman has a related form in Hymie. Hyman has a related form in Hy.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Hyshort form · English
- Hymiediminutive · English
- Hymenvariant
- Hyamvariant
- Hymeavariant
- Hymeevariant
- Hymeyvariant
- Hymyvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Hyman
- Harold ArlenAmerican composer of popular music (1905-1986)
- Hyman G. RickoverUnited States admiral; Father of the Nuclear Navy (1900–1986)
- Hyman MinskyAmerican economist (1919–1996)
- Paul BleyCanadian free jazz, post-bop pianist and keyboardist (1932-2016)
- Hyman BassAmerican mathematicianborn 1932
- Hyman BloomAmerican artist (1913-2009)
- Hy ZaretAmerican lyricist and composer (1907-2007)
- Hy Eismancartoonist (1927-2025)
- Hyman LevyScottish mathematician (1889-1975)
Characters named Hyman: Hyman Roth (the film The Godfather Part II), Rabbi Hyman Krustofski (the television series The Simpsons).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Hyman, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Oran
“surrounded by light” · “a pale-skinned man”
>99% boys
Hershel
“resembling a deer”
>99% boys
Furman
“a ferryman”
>99% boys
Wyman
“a fair-haired warrior”
>99% boys
Thurman
“protected by Thor”
>99% boys
Hilton
“a wealthy woman” · “from the town on the hill”
85% boys · 15% girls
Hilbert
“battle”
>99% boys
Herman
“a soldier”
>99% boys