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Home › Baby Names Directory › Dillard

Dillard

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Dillard

Pronounced DIL-erd /ˈdɪl.ərd/High

Meaning: Dillard is an English surname adopted as a first name, most likely from a medieval personal name in the Dill family joined to the Germanic element -hard, 'hardy, brave.' Carried as a given name chiefly in the American South, it reads as a family-surname name.Low

In 30 seconds: Dillard is a Southern surname-name, from a medieval name plus '-hard,' 'hardy' (said 'DIL-erd'). A family name that peaked around 1921.
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Origin LowEnglish
MeaningDillard is an English surname adopted as a first name, most likely from a medieval personal name in the Dill family joined to the Germanic element -hard, 'hardy, brave.' Carried as a given name chiefly in the American South, it reads as a family-surname name.
U.S. rank (2014)#12555 ↘ Falling
2014 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1921
Total births (all-time)≈ 3,730
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Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192118802014

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Dillard is an English surname taken up as a given name, likely from a medieval Dill name plus -hard, 'hardy.' It followed the Southern custom of honoring a family surname as a first name and reached its high near 1921 at close to a hundred boys a year.

A man named Dillard at that peak would be past a hundred today. The name faded through the century as a given name, though it endures as a surname; it reads as vintage Southern Americana, with Dillon and Willard as its nearest kin in sound.

Did you know? Dillard is a classic Southern surname-as-first-name, its '-ard' ending carrying the old Germanic sense 'hardy, brave' — the same element found in names like Bernard and Richard.
Overall data confidence 55%
References — Dillard — English surname-name, Dill + -hard; 1920s peak

Variations

Dilliard

Nicknames

Dill

Famous Bearers

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If you like Dillard…

Dillon— a like Dill- rooted boys' name in sound
Willard— a same-era surname-turned-first-name of the South
Bernard— a like '-ard' name sharing the 'hardy' element
Delbert— a same-generation vintage American boys' name

Explore names like Dillard

By themevintagesurname-namebravesouthernantique

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Dillard mean?

Dillard is a surname-turned-first-name, from a medieval personal name plus the element '-hard,' 'hardy, brave.'

How do you pronounce Dillard?

It's said DIL-erd /ˈdɪl.ərd/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Dillard a boy or girl name?

Dillard is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Dillard?

Dillard was an uncommon early-century choice that peaked in the early twenties and has been rare as a first name since; it hasn't revived.

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