Pilar
About Pilar
The fact that this Spanish classic, which honors the Virgin Mary, does not end in the conventional letter 'a' gives it a special sense of strength, elegance, and style, making it a worthy choice.
The name originated in the legend of the miracle of the Virgin Mary's appearance over a marble pillar. It also is an allusion to her as a pillar of the church.
Pilar is remembered as the valiant heroine of Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Pronounced pih-LAR.
As of October 2026, Pilar ranked #3336 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1317 in 1924.
Editor's take: The name Pilar is a girl's name of Spanish origin meaning "pillar".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,773 | 63 | 35.3 |
| 2015 | #3,289 | 50 | 28 |
| 2016 | #3,645 | 43 | 24.3 |
| 2017 | #2,959 | 56 | 32.4 |
| 2018 | #3,657 | 42 | 24.7 |
| 2019 | #3,029 | 54 | 32.2 |
| 2020 | #3,264 | 48 | 29.7 |
| 2021 | #3,100 | 53 | 32.3 |
| 2022 | #3,402 | 47 | 28.7 |
| 2023 | #3,364 | 48 | 29.9 |
| 2024 | #3,477 | 45 | 27.8 |
| 2025 | #3,336 | 47 | 29.2 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Pilar.
- Hanne
- Verna
- Sigourney
- Eléonore
- Clary
- Silvie
- Béatrice
- Hosanna
- Lucya
- Laurence
- Peninah
- Clemency
- Karlotta
- Perla
- Ester
- Magda
- Beulah
- Sybille
- Marte
- Meredith
Pilar on lists
Famous Pilars
- Pilar Lastra
American model
- Pilar Bosley
American ice dancer
- Pilar Pellicer
Mexican film actress
- Bella Pilar
American illustrator
- Pilar Miro
Spanish film director
- Pilar Lorengar
Spanish soprano
- Pilar Montenegro
Mexican singer/actress
- Pilar Bardem
Spanish actress, mother of actor Javier Bardem
- Pilar Pilapil
Filipina actress and Miss Philippines 1967
- Pilar Lopez de Ayala
Spanish actress
- Pilar Jhena McKinley (b. 2019)
daughter of Porsha Williams and Dennis McKinley.
- Pilar Nemar
contestant on Big Brother Canada
Pilar in pop culture
- Pilar
character in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway
- Pilar Estravados
character in Hercule Poirot series
- Pilar Ternera
character in "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Pilar Ortega
character in TV's "Falcon Crest"
- Pilar Reed
character in TV's "Eureka"
- Pilar
character from Margaret Atwood's "The Year of the Flood" and "MaddAddam"
- Pilar Lopez
Fitzgerald, character in TV soap "Passions"
- Pilar
Argentina
- Pilar Zuazo
character on TV's "Weeds"
- Pilar
Elle's friend in the musical version of Legally Blonde
- Pilar
a Argentine lawyer in 'The Past' by Tessa Hadley