NamesBoyH › Hal
Boy name

Hal

/ˈhæl/ · 100% boys · 38 born in 2025

Hal has been given to about 16,796 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1956, which makes it a midcentury name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables1
Pronunciation/ˈhæl/
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 10,135
Median age today70 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Hal per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1956 · 598
  • Born in 202538
  • All time16,796
  • England & Wales, 20253

How popular is Hal?

Its best year was 1956, when 598 babies were given the name, ranking 305th. The typical living American called Hal is about 70 years old today. It is relatively most common in Utah, where it accounts for 0.02% of births.

Names that sound like Hal

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Al0.75
  2. Cal0.75
  3. Val0.75
  4. Halo0.64
  5. Neal0.55
  6. Michal0.55
  7. Hank0.53
  8. Hans0.53

Middle names for Hal

Ranked by flow score
  1. Hal Thomas0.74
  2. Hal Cole0.73
  3. Hal Miles0.73
  4. Hal Wilder0.72
  5. Hal James0.71
  6. Hal John0.55

Sibling names for Hal

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Ruthiesister · 0.91
  2. Gwensister · 0.90
  3. Myrasister · 0.89
  4. Louiebrother · 0.86
  5. Frankieeither · 0.85
  6. Otisbrother · 0.85

Where Hal is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Utah0.02%
  2. California0.00%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Hal Evans0.73
  2. Hal Edwards0.73
  3. Hal Anderson0.70
  4. Hal Allen0.70
  5. Hal Adams0.70
  6. Hal Wilson0.69

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Hal

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Hal across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.