Lillian
Lillian was the 57th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,966 babies. Its best year was 1898, when it ranked 10th; the most babies were born in 1920 (10,049). Over the last ten years it has moved down 31 places. More babies were named Lillian in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning lily (probably) · Latin, English
Say it LIL-ee-uhn /ˈlɪliən/
- Rank in 2025
- #57 girls, down 11 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,966girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192010,049 babies
- Total since 1880
- 476,457babies recorded
What does the name Lillian mean?
Lillian has been used since the 16th century. Wiktionary gives two explanations: it may have begun as a pet form of Elizabeth, as Lilibet and Lillie did, but it is generally taken as a name formed from Latin lilium, 'lily', the flower that stood for purity in Christian art. The double-l spelling is the usual American form; British usage prefers Lilian. Lily and Lillie are common short forms.
līlium (Latin, “lily”)
How sure is this? Probable. The lily derivation is generally accepted; an origin as a pet form of Elizabeth is also possible.
Related names: Lilian, Lily, Lillie, Liliana, Elizabeth.
See also: Latin names, names that mean flower.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lillian', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lilian', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lily', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Lillian
The usual nicknames for Lillian are Lily, Lil and Lillie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Lillian in the last five years, 150 were named Lily, against 113 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lily · also for Liliana, Lilith, Lilyana | Traditional | #18 | 30,614 |
| Lil · also for Lily, Lilith | Traditional | — | — |
| Lillie | Traditional | #676 | 1,992 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lillians go by each one.
Lillian popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,429 since 1882.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #57 | 3,966 |
| 2020 | #46 | 4,515 |
| 2010 | #22 | 6,957 |
| 2000 | #129 | 2,600 |
| 1990 | #366 | 722 |
| 1980 | #425 | 510 |
| 1970 | #335 | 782 |
| 1960 | #223 | 1,433 |
| 1950 | #156 | 1,884 |
| 1940 | #97 | 2,525 |
| 1930 | #44 | 5,447 |
| 1920 | #18 | 10,049 |
| 1910 | #14 | 4,127 |
| 1900 | #10 | 3,414 |
| 1890 | #19 | 1,862 |
| 1880 | #32 | 672 |
How popular is Lillian, counting every spelling?
Lillian is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #55 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #57 for Lillian on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,696 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lillian | 3,966 | #57 | 20,387 |
| Lilian | 537 | #560 | 2,607 |
| Lilliann | 39 | #3,811 | 215 |
| Lilyan | 35 | #4,132 | 204 |
| Lillianne | 33 | #4,311 | 196 |
| Liliane | 29 | #4,709 | 142 |
| Lilianne | 23 | #5,493 | 122 |
| Liliann | 13 | #8,141 | 71 |
| Lilliane | 5 | #16,306 | 42 |
| Lyllian | 5 | #16,339 | 36 |
| Lylian | 6 | #14,254 | 35 |
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 Lillian?
3,966 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lillian (1.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lillian born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 48. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lillian.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lillian?
About 202,400 people born in the US named Lillian are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 11 and 41. That makes Lillian mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Lillian by state
How common Lillian was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (4.5×), West Virginia (3.1×), Maine (3.0×), New Hampshire (2.9×), Alaska (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Texas, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lillian: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lillian, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lillian · Sibling names for Lillian
Questions about the name Lillian
What does Lillian mean?
Lillian means “lily (probably)” (Latin, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lillian?
Lillian was the 57th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 3,966 babies. Its best year was 1898, when it ranked 10th; the most babies were born in 1920 (10,049). Over the last ten years it has moved down 31 places. More babies were named Lillian in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Lillian a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lillian in the US.
Where is Lillian most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lillian was most common in Vermont (11.35 per 1,000 girls), followed by West Virginia and Maine.