Girl nameCurrently #54 in the USFalling
Lillian
LIL-ee-un//ˈlɪliən//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19207 lettersStarts with L
Meaning & origin
Lily
Lillian developed as an elaborated form of Lily, itself from the Latin 'lilium', and has been used as an independent name since at least the 16th century. It carries the same floral, pure symbolism as Lily but with a longer, more formal sound, and has been a steady vintage favorite for generations.
Lillian's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Lillian |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 672 |
| 1881 | 723 |
| 1882 | 836 |
| 1883 | 913 |
| 1884 | 1,115 |
| 1885 | 1,143 |
| 1886 | 1,282 |
| 1887 | 1,314 |
| 1888 | 1,663 |
| 1889 | 1,647 |
| 1890 | 1,872 |
| 1891 | 1,821 |
| 1892 | 2,164 |
| 1893 | 2,202 |
| 1894 | 2,448 |
| 1895 | 2,507 |
| 1896 | 2,713 |
| 1897 | 2,696 |
| 1898 | 3,076 |
| 1899 | 2,711 |
| 1900 | 3,425 |
| 1901 | 2,698 |
| 1902 | 3,076 |
| 1903 | 2,984 |
| 1904 | 3,149 |
| 1905 | 3,196 |
| 1906 | 3,307 |
| 1907 | 3,557 |
| 1908 | 3,643 |
| 1909 | 3,611 |
| 1910 | 4,142 |
| 1911 | 4,380 |
| 1912 | 5,598 |
| 1913 | 6,036 |
| 1914 | 7,387 |
| 1915 | 9,570 |
| 1916 | 9,618 |
| 1917 | 9,876 |
| 1918 | 10,009 |
| 1919 | 9,542 |
| 1920 | 10,075 |
| 1921 | 9,793 |
| 1922 | 9,459 |
| 1923 | 9,361 |
| 1924 | 9,135 |
| 1925 | 8,376 |
| 1926 | 7,688 |
| 1927 | 7,227 |
| 1928 | 6,623 |
| 1929 | 5,754 |
| 1930 | 5,478 |
| 1931 | 4,844 |
| 1932 | 4,382 |
| 1933 | 4,021 |
| 1934 | 3,997 |
| 1935 | 3,439 |
| 1936 | 3,136 |
| 1937 | 2,917 |
| 1938 | 2,838 |
| 1939 | 2,566 |
| 1940 | 2,538 |
| 1941 | 2,480 |
| 1942 | 2,504 |
| 1943 | 2,405 |
| 1944 | 2,130 |
| 1945 | 2,026 |
| 1946 | 2,160 |
| 1947 | 2,090 |
| 1948 | 2,121 |
| 1949 | 1,950 |
| 1950 | 1,884 |
| 1951 | 1,835 |
| 1952 | 1,733 |
| 1953 | 1,663 |
| 1954 | 1,634 |
| 1955 | 1,666 |
| 1956 | 1,635 |
| 1957 | 1,613 |
| 1958 | 1,428 |
| 1959 | 1,468 |
| 1960 | 1,443 |
| 1961 | 1,318 |
| 1962 | 1,314 |
| 1963 | 1,170 |
| 1964 | 1,064 |
| 1965 | 1,026 |
| 1966 | 889 |
| 1967 | 848 |
| 1968 | 813 |
| 1969 | 779 |
| 1970 | 788 |
| 1971 | 680 |
| 1972 | 620 |
| 1973 | 564 |
| 1974 | 482 |
| 1975 | 455 |
| 1976 | 479 |
| 1977 | 470 |
| 1978 | 399 |
| 1979 | 441 |
| 1980 | 510 |
| 1981 | 517 |
| 1982 | 475 |
| 1983 | 453 |
| 1984 | 468 |
| 1985 | 548 |
| 1986 | 554 |
| 1987 | 531 |
| 1988 | 652 |
| 1989 | 695 |
| 1990 | 730 |
| 1991 | 770 |
| 1992 | 749 |
| 1993 | 736 |
| 1994 | 882 |
| 1995 | 942 |
| 1996 | 1,127 |
| 1997 | 1,393 |
| 1998 | 1,718 |
| 1999 | 2,195 |
| 2000 | 2,605 |
| 2001 | 2,951 |
| 2002 | 3,397 |
| 2003 | 4,030 |
| 2004 | 4,758 |
| 2005 | 5,223 |
| 2006 | 6,246 |
| 2007 | 6,562 |
| 2008 | 6,826 |
| 2009 | 6,867 |
| 2010 | 6,957 |
| 2011 | 6,941 |
| 2012 | 7,176 |
| 2013 | 7,088 |
| 2014 | 6,924 |
| 2015 | 6,630 |
| 2016 | 6,395 |
| 2017 | 6,186 |
| 2018 | 5,566 |
| 2019 | 5,126 |
| 2020 | 4,516 |
| 2021 | 4,327 |
| 2022 | 4,256 |
| 2023 | 3,937 |
| 2024 | 3,882 |
Lillian through the decades
- Lillian peaked in 1920, when 10,075 babies were named Lillian in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Lillian has fallen 24% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Lillian currently ranks #54 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
LilyLillie
Variants & spellings
LilianLillyan
Famous people named Lillian
- Lillian Gish — actress