first name
HAL
of 53,615 first names recorded in the 2020 Census
Of the 9,875 people named Hal, 88.1% reported their origin as White, 6.1% as Black and 2.1% as two or more races. 99% are male. These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.
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Hal peaked in 1956, when 598 babies got the name.
At least 16,796 babies have been given the name since 1880. Years SSA withheld, because fewer than 5 were born, are skipped rather than drawn as zero. * 2025 is the newest year published and it undercounts: a card application is filed some time after a birth.
Hal by decade
Among all names given to American babies, its best decade was the 1950s, when it ranked #768. The largest share of babies named Hal, 43.2%, were born during the baby boom (1946–1964).
Rank counts both sexes together, among every name SSA recorded that decade; the number under it is births. The 2020s run only to 2025. Generation years follow Pew Research Center, which has not named a generation after 2012.
Where Hal is most common
Compared with all babies born in each state since 1910, Hal has been most common in Utah (5.3×), North Carolina (3.3×), and Mississippi (3.1×), and least common in Maryland (0.25×).
11,890 births recorded by state, 1910–2025. 2× means twice as common as nationally. States with fewer than 30 such births are left blank, and SSA withholds any year with fewer than 5 in a state, so small states read low.
Either side of Hal
Spelled almost the same
6 first names in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of Hal, most common first.
Also a last name
As a last name, Hal ranks #42,463 of 156,621, with 550 people. See Hal as a last name
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🔎 HAL 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜ 1 in 30,585 Americans Rarer than 80% of us Peaked in 1956 with 598 babies Beat that 👇 https://howrareismy.name/first/hal/