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Higinio

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Higinio

Pronounced ee-HEE-nee-o /iˈxi.ni.o/Medium

Meaning: Higinio is the Spanish form of the Latin Hyginus, from the Greek Hyginos, meaning healthy or vigorous, built on hygies, sound or well, the same root as hygiene. It honors an early pope, Saint Hyginus, and passed into Spanish Catholic naming.Medium

In 30 seconds: Higinio is a Spanish saint's name from the Greek for healthy or vigorous. Honoring an early pope, it stayed a rare heritage choice among Latino families (said ee-HEE-nee-o).

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Origin MediumSpanish, Greek

MeaningHiginio is the Spanish form of the Latin Hyginus, from the Greek Hyginos, meaning healthy or vigorous, built on hygies, sound or well, the same root as hygiene. It honors an early pope, Saint Hyginus, and passed into Spanish Catholic naming.

U.S. rank (2013)#12839 ↘ Falling

2013 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1956

Total births (all-time)≈ 690

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

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

Higinio descends through Spanish from the Latin Hyginus and the Greek Hyginos, meaning healthy or vigorous, from hygies, sound. Its anchor is Saint Hyginus, a second-century pope, and Spanish-speaking Catholic families carried the name for generations. It came to the United States mainly with Mexican American households.

Higinio was never common in America, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its modest peak in the mid nineteen-fifties, with a long thin trail before and after. A man named Higinio from that peak would be in his sixties or seventies now.

Did you know? The root of Higinio, the Greek hygies meaning sound or well, is the same word that gives us hygiene, so the name carries a quiet sense of health.

Overall data confidence 70%

References - Higinio — Greek hygies healthy; Saint Hyginus; Spanish Catholic

Variations

HiginiaHyginusIginio

Nicknames

GinoHigi

Famous Bearers

★Pope Saint Hyginus (died c. 142)
early Christian pope whose Latin name gave rise to the Spanish Higinio

If you like Higinio…

Fidencio— a like old Spanish devotional name

Eleuterio— a fellow Greek-rooted Spanish saint name

Sotero— a similar Latino saint's name from Greek

Horacio— echoes that soft -io sound

Rogelio— another Spanish name

Explore names like Higinio

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Higinio mean?

It means healthy or vigorous, from the Greek hygies, sound or well, and honors the early pope Saint Hyginus.

How do you pronounce Higinio?

It is said ee-HEE-nee-o /iˈxi.ni.o/, with the stress on the second syllable.

Is Higinio a boy or girl name?

Higinio is used as a boy's name; the feminine form is Higinia.

How popular is Higinio?

It has always been rare in the United States, given to only a couple dozen boys a year at its peak in the mid nineteen-fifties.