Hal comes from the Germanic / Hebrew tradition, meaning Army ruler / home ruler.
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How popular is Hal?
1956peak year
Today, Hal is rarely chosen — ranked well outside the top 1,000 (around #4410), with only about 25 babies given the name per year. But it wasn't always this way. At its peak in 1956, 598 babies were given the name (ranked #305 nationally). Its strongest stretch was the 1950s. Hal has been trending upward in recent years. In all, around 16,758 babies have been registered as Hal since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Every name has a homeland. Discover strong boy names rooted in cultures from around the world — each with full meanings, origin stories and pronunciation.