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I hate it. It's my stepsister's name. I've always hated it. I hate the "Hil" sound. My stepsister spells it Hilary. Once my stepmother commented on how much she loves the name (well, obviously), and I remained diplomatically silent.

I like Hilary too

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It makes me think of a very self-assured, well put together women who probably works in business. I really like it's strength and it's definitely much better than Mallory.

I like it a lot. It feels very calm and friendly. The only Hilarys I have known were both unusual and interesting women - one is a professor and the other, last I heard, was running a bird sanctuary entirely alone on an island. I haven't come across anyone younger than 40 here with the name, but it's unusual enough not to look dated on a younger person.

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It is maybe just a little masculine-feeling - maybe that's because I know it used to be a male name and there's a male saint, but could be why it's not so popular.

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Hillary is a last name, so looks misspelt as a first name to me.

I like Hilary (one l only, please) well enough and the nn Hilly which is kind of cute. The problem is that it reminds me of hilarious (which it means, of course). One of my dds had a friend named Hilary. Her surname also began with the letter H and I loved the alliteration of it.

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Perhaps it hasn't been more common due to Hillary Clinton. She's been on the national scene for some time. Maybe the name reminds people of hilarious. I think it's a name worth using.

'Hilarious'

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Sorry. It's all I can see or think of when I see Hilary / Hillary.

Petra Hillary makes a good combo!

I prefer the two "l" spelling but, regardless of spelling, I still immediately think of Clinton. I like the name itself but would never choose to use it because I don't care for the association it now has. Wish I could shake it. I have a similar problem with the name Camilla because I can't help but think of Parker-Bowles.

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ETA: Hilary Celeste just came to mind.

This message was edited 8/7/2012, 3:47 PM

I don't like it at all, never have. It just seems so snooty and prep-school to me, like her best friends Mallory and Meredith.
I also dont' see why Hilary would be any less likely to get shortened than Hillary. They're pronounced exactly the same.

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I think Hilary/Hillary might have become more popular if it wasn't for Hillary Clinton. She was pretty much the only famous Hillary at the time, aside from some soap opera character, maybe. And she wasn't young. She kind of dated the name and rendered it middle-aged even though when she was born it probably was considered cutting-edge.

It's my sister's name, Hilary Patricia, a happy noblewoman. :-) I'm biased, but I do love it.

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Hilary was very rare when she was born in the early sixties. Then it began to be popular in the 1980s, with a soap opera character (All My Children) having the name -- a sure sign it had arrived. But politics stepped in (1990s) and took it over. I have no problem with Ms Clinton, but I agree that it is a distraction for most.

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My mother's nn for Hilary growing up was "Hildy Mary." I call her "Hil." It makes no logical sense, just a quirky nn. The only combination that I've ever managed to find for it (other than Hilary Patricia) is Hilary Jeanette.

This message was edited 8/7/2012, 3:22 PM

I like Hilary and that spelling! I find the name to be common, certainly more common than Bethany, Mallory.