Fun Facts About the Name Haile
- More than 1 thousand babies named Haile: U.S. records list 1,074 babies given the name Haile from 1880 through 2025. Even 227 boys received the name Haile - about 1 boy for every 4 girls.
What Does the Name Haile Mean?
Haile is a masculine given name of Ethiopian origin, from the Ethiopic language family that includes Ge'ez, Amharic, and Tigrinya. It comes from a root meaning "power," "strength," or "might." The Amharic noun ḥayl (ኃይል) means power or force, and the personal name is written ኃይሌ, with a final -e that is often understood as a possessive ending. The literal sense is therefore "my power," though the name is usually rendered simply as "power" or "might."
At the front of a two-part name, Haile carries the sense "power of," with the second element naming what the power belongs to. The best-known example is the throne name Haile Selassie, "Power of the Trinity." Other compound names follow the same pattern.
Separately, and with no connection to the Ethiopic name, Haile appears in English as a surname and, less often, a given name - generally treated as a variant spelling of Hale. English names of this kind usually come from a place name or a descriptive word, such as Old English halh ("nook, hollow") or hāl ("whole, healthy"). This English name is distinct from the similar-sounding Hayley or Hailey, which have a different derivation.
Haile Name History & Origins
The name belongs to the Ethiopic tradition of the Horn of Africa. Ge'ez is the classical liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches, and Amharic and Tigrinya are among the modern languages of the same family. The name is used across Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Like many Ethiopian names, Haile serves both as a name on its own and as the first element of a two-element name whose second part refers to a member of the Trinity, to Mary, or to a saint. Among Ethiopian rulers the pattern is documented: Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned in 1930 as Haile Selassie I, meaning "Power of the Trinity." Earlier nobles and rulers bore names such as Haile Maryam and Haile Mikael.
The name is also a common Ethiopian and Eritrean surname. Outside the Horn of Africa it is most widely known through the emperor Haile Selassie, whose name and title are central to the Rastafari movement. The name also belongs to the distance runner Haile Gebrselassie and the filmmaker Haile Gerima.
Independently, Haile is found in English as a surname and occasional given name, a variant spelling of Hale. Such English surnames typically derive from a place name or a descriptive word rather than from the Ethiopic root, and the two traditions should not be merged.
How Popular is the Name Haile?
Haile has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2002. Its best rank was #2,312 in 1935.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #9,117 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #14,032 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #16,101 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #14,042 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #8,975 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2016 | #11,180 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #8,151 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #8,643 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #7,909 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #6,193 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2011 | #7,226 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2010 | #5,684 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2009 | #4,610 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2008 | #4,212 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2007 | #4,077 | 38 | 0.0020% |
| 2006 | #3,878 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2005 | #3,100 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 2004 | #3,772 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2003 | #2,809 | 55 | 0.0030% |
| 2002 | #2,430 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 2001 | #3,108 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2000 | #2,577 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 1999 | #3,061 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 1998 | #3,675 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1997 | #4,565 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1996 | #3,665 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1995 | #3,814 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #3,929 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1993 | #6,063 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #7,196 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #5,758 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #8,732 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,688 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #10,092 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #12,730 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #11,250 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #11,246 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #11,171 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #10,009 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #10,031 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #9,997 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #12,930 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #9,285 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #11,418 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #10,429 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #6,408 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #9,812 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #7,804 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #10,997 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #7,405 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #8,875 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #9,530 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,355 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #7,241 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #8,597 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1988 | #7,697 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #5,850 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #6,718 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #6,621 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #3,971 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #6,217 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1976 | #5,932 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #4,336 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #3,543 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #4,438 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1936 | #2,996 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1935 | #2,312 | 11 | 0.0011% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Haile Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Haile's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Haile's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.