Heyli
A feminine name with uncertain origins, possibly related to Hebrew "Hailah" meaning "ornament".
Name Census estimates that about 96 living Americans carry the first name Heyli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Heyli today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Heyli births was 2011 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Heyli. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Heyli. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
96
~ 1 in 3,570,358 Americans
Peak year
2011
9 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,622
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Heyli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Heyli from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 48 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Heyli remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Heyli by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Heyli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Heyli
The name Heyli is believed to have originated from the ancient Germanic languages, possibly derived from the Proto-Germanic word "hailag," meaning "holy" or "sacred." It is thought to have been first used as a name during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 8th centuries CE, when Germanic tribes like the Saxons, Franks, and Goths were prominent in central and western Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heyli can be found in the Old English epic poem "Beowulf," which dates back to around the 7th or 8th century CE. In this work, a character named Heyli is mentioned as a warrior in the service of the Danish King Hrothgar.
During the Middle Ages, the name Heyli gained popularity among Christian communities in Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of Scandinavia. It was often associated with religious devotion and piety, as the name's meaning aligned with the spiritual values of the time.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Heyli was Heyli of Bingen, a 12th-century German Benedictine abbess, philosopher, composer, and Christian mystic. She is renowned for her intellectual contributions, her musical compositions, and her writings on various subjects, including medicine, theology, and natural history.
In the 13th century, a Swedish noblewoman named Heyli Kettilsdotter played a significant role in the consolidation of Swedish royal power. She was the mother of King Birger Magnusson, who was instrumental in establishing the Swedish monarchy and promulgating the country's first national law code.
Another prominent figure with the name Heyli was Heyli von Moltke, a 19th-century German field marshal who was instrumental in the Prussian victories against Denmark, Austria, and France in the 1860s and 1870s. His strategic brilliance and organizational skills were pivotal in unifying Germany under Prussian leadership.
During the Renaissance period, Heyli Trevisan, an Italian alchemist and philosopher from the early 15th century, gained recognition for his writings on alchemy and his contributions to the development of early scientific thought.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Heyli, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Heyli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Heyli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Heyli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heyli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 96 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Heyli going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,570,358 US residents.
Is Heyli a common name?
We classify Heyli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 97 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Heyli most popular?
The single biggest year for Heyli was 2011, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Heyli is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Heyli in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Heyli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Heyli in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Heyli still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Heyli in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Heyli can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Heyli as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Heyli on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.