Lilith
Lilith was the 277th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,111 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 232nd with 1,300 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 310 places. More babies were named Lilith in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Hebrew
Say it LIL-ith /ˈlɪlɪθ/
- Rank in 2025
- #277 girls, up 39 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,111girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20231,300 babies
- Total since 1880
- 13,534babies recorded
What does the name Lilith mean?
Lilith comes from the Hebrew word lilith, which appears once in the Bible, in Isaiah 34:14, among the wild creatures that haunt a ruined land; the JPS translation leaves it untranslated. In later Jewish folklore Lilith became a named female demon and, in some medieval stories, Adam's first wife. Wiktionary connects the figure with a Mesopotamian storm demon. The popular explanation "of the night", from Hebrew layla, is widely repeated but not confirmed by the sources consulted.
לִילִית (Biblical Hebrew, “a night creature or demon named in Isaiah 34:14”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The name is clearly the Hebrew lilith; the deeper origin of that word is debated (often tied to Mesopotamian demon names).
Other explanations you may read: means 'of the night' (from Hebrew layla).
Related names: Lilit.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lilith', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Isaiah 34.14, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Lilith', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Lilith
The usual nicknames for Lilith are Lily and Lil. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Lilith in the last five years, 509 were named Lily, against 4085 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lily · also for Lillian, Liliana, Lilyana | Modern | #18 | 30,614 |
| Lil · also for Lily, Lillian | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Liliths go by each one.
Lilith popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #277 | 1,111 |
| 2020 | #316 | 1,007 |
| 2010 | #994 | 254 |
| 2000 | #1,913 | 89 |
| 1990 | #10,884 | 7 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | #6,098 | 8 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | #3,215 | 9 |
| 1920 | #3,484 | 9 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Lilith, counting every spelling?
Lilith is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #271 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #277 for Lilith on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,252 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lilith | 1,111 | #277 | 6,010 |
| Lillith | 101 | #1,919 | 521 |
| Lilyth | 18 | #6,457 | 109 |
| Lylith | 14 | #7,722 | 40 |
| Lillyth | 8 | #11,503 | 37 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Lilith?
1,111 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lilith (0.31 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lilith born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 8 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lilith.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lilith?
About 13,400 people born in the US named Lilith are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 3 and 11. That makes Lilith a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Lilith by state
How common Lilith was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (3.2×), West Virginia (3.1×), Maine (3.1×), South Dakota (2.5×), Nevada (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, North Dakota, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lilith: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lilith, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lilith · Sibling names for Lilith
Questions about the name Lilith
What does Lilith mean?
The origin of Lilith is uncertain: the name is clearly the Hebrew lilith; the deeper origin of that word is debated (often tied to Mesopotamian demon names).
How popular is the name Lilith?
Lilith was the 277th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,111 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 232nd with 1,300 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 310 places. More babies were named Lilith in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Lilith a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lilith in the US.
Where is Lilith most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lilith was most common in New Mexico (2.38 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Maine.