Given name & surname
Pilar
“resembling a pillar; having great strength”
Pilar is used as a given name and a surname. One Spanish interpretation is “resembling a pillar; having great strength.”
Original Spanishปีลาร์
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Spanish interpretation is “resembling a pillar; having great strength.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Spanish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1896. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Pilar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,258
- 753 boys · 5,505 girls
- Most popular year
- 2005
- 145 babies
- 2025
- 47
- #3,336 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 0% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 47 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,336 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 137 in 2005. In 2025, California and Florida shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (9 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,317 as a first name in 2020; 906 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.
Pilar’s family of names
Pilar has an affectionate form in Pili. Pilar has a related form in Pilarre. In Spanish usage, Pilar has a diminutive in Pili.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Pilar
- Pilar LorengarSpanish operatic soprano1928–1996
- AilynSpanish singerborn 1982
- Pilar MiróFilm director, Screenwriter (1940-1997)
- Pilar CastroSpanish actressborn 1970
- Pili PeñaSpanish water polo playerborn 1986
- Pilar RubioSpanish reporter and TV presenterborn 1978
- Pilar Primo de RiveraSpanish countess (1907–1991)
- Pilar BayerSpanish mathematicianborn 1946
- Pilita CorralesFilipino singer, song writer, and comedian (1939–2025)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Pilar, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Eryn
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