Girl's name
Lillian
Say it LIL-ee-un
Latin origin lily
3 syllables
Where Lillian is loved, common and rare
Common in Canada. Rare in Norway, Britain, Ireland and six more places.
1 in 1,789 girls born in Scotland in 2025
British Columbia 72ndOntario 95thNorway 287th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 12 of the 40 official lists, among them British Columbia (72nd), Ontario (95th) and Norway (287th).
Show all 12 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia province | 72nd 2023 | 35 | about 1 in 342 |
| Ontario province | 95th 2024 | 107 | about 1 in 509 |
| Norway | 287th 2025 | 13 | 1 in 1,677 |
| Scotland | 324th 2025 | 10 | 1 in 1,789 |
| England and Wales | 361st 2025 | 119 | 1 in 2,128 |
| Ireland | 413th 2025 | 9 | 1 in 2,347 |
| Sweden | 558th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 4,017 |
| Berlin city | 757th 2023 | 3 | about 1 in 4,835 |
| Austria | 858th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 8,930 |
| Switzerland | 1414th 2025 | 3 | 1 in 11,331 |
| Italy | 2927th 2024 | 2 | 1 in 89,585 |
| Leipzig city | 344th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 2,624 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, Quebec, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Rostock, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
Lillian has been used since the sixteenth century. It may first have been a pet form of Elizabeth, but it is generally accepted as coming from the Late Latin lilium, 'lily', which links it to the whole family of flower names.
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Three syllables, said LIL-ee-un, with the stress on the first. Lily and Lil are natural short forms. Lilian with one l is a common alternative, and Liliana, Lilliana, Liliane and Lilias are related names.
It is especially popular in Canada, where it ranks inside the top 100 in British Columbia and Ontario, and it is used in Scotland, Norway, Sweden and Austria. Canadian records show it at its height in the 1920s, so it is a vintage name, and today it is steady to slightly declining in the regions where it is recorded.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- LIL-ee-un, 3 syllables
- Meaning
lily
- Origin
- Latin
Etymology
Used since the sixteenth century, possibly originally a pet form of Elizabeth, but generally accepted as a variant of Late Latin lilium (“lily”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 2 of 9 regions, falling in 4.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 293 | 274 | 330 | 310 | 333 | 373 | 336 | 353 | 309 | 361 |
| Scotland | 453 | 409 | 348 | 343 | 636 | 558 | 418 | 482 | 476 | 324 |
| Ireland | 236 | 324 | 244 | 271 | 264 | 390 | 338 | 364 | 243 | 413 |
| Ontario | 52 | 49 | 62 | 53 | 65 | 72 | 77 | 63 | 95 | |
| British Columbia | 52 | 49 | 70 | 82 | 102 | 97 | 73 | 72 | ||
| New South Wales | 86 | |||||||||
| Queensland | 78 | 99 | 94 | 98 | 98 | |||||
| South Australia | 174 | 135 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 565 | 651 | 662 | 715 | 575 | 576 | ||||
| The Netherlands | 802 | |||||||||
| Austria | 666 | 551 | 562 | 1047 | 736 | 597 | 752 | 825 | 606 | 858 |
| Switzerland | 1130 | 1116 | 1148 | 1785 | 1347 | 795 | 1832 | 1513 | 995 | 1414 |
| Berlin | 963 | 803 | 491 | 988 | 395 | 641 | 757 | |||
| Bonn | 222 | 359 | 371 | 357 | 124 | 392 | 362 | |||
| Norway | 206 | 310 | 299 | 205 | 302 | 303 | 329 | 263 | 207 | 287 |
| Sweden | 568 | 475 | 436 | 440 | 669 | 365 | 332 | 357 | 558 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 361 | 119 | 47.0 |
| 2024 | 309 | 140 | 54.3 |
| 2023 | 353 | 120 | 46.8 |
| 2022 | 336 | 129 | 49.0 |
| 2021 | 373 | 123 | 44.9 |
| 2020 | 333 | 137 | 51.0 |
| 2019 | 310 | 154 | 55.0 |
| 2018 | 330 | 145 | 50.3 |
| 2017 | 274 | 178 | 59.5 |
| 2016 | 293 | 169 | 55.0 |
| 2015 | 291 | 165 | 53.6 |
| 2014 | 348 | 132 | 43.0 |
| 2013 | 339 | 135 | 43.8 |
| 2012 | 349 | 138 | 42.8 |
| 2011 | 426 | 102 | 31.7 |
| 2010 | 337 | 139 | 43.3 |
| 2009 | 390 | 108 | 34.5 |
| 2008 | 373 | 119 | 37.7 |
| 2007 | 363 | 120 | 39.2 |
| 2006 | 424 | 97 | 32.4 |
| 2005 | 409 | 91 | 31.6 |
| 2004 | 410 | 89 | 31.1 |
| 2003 | 468 | 71 | 25.5 |
| 2002 | 480 | 63 | 23.6 |
| 2001 | 514 | 56 | 20.9 |
| 2000 | 535 | 52 | 19.0 |
| 1999 | 573 | 48 | 17.0 |
| 1998 | 571 | 47 | 16.3 |
| 1997 | 618 | 41 | 14.0 |
| 1996 | 533 | 47 | 15.9 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Lillian in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1958. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 1925, at 995.8 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Lillian per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 1925 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Lillian
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lillian. Same first letter as Lillian.
1 in 2,261 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lillian.
1 in 291 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Lillian.
1 in 754 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lillian.
1 in 346 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lillian.
1 in 1,056 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lillian.
1 in 166 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lillian.
1 in 640 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lillian.
1 in 515 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lillian.
1 in 5,890 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lillian. Ends in -an, like Lillian.
Middle names for Lillian
1 in 71 in Scotland
Lillian Olivia
3-4 beats · initials LO
Changes the beat after Lillian: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Lillian Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials LC
Changes the beat after Lillian: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Lillian Sophie
3-2 beats · initials LS
Changes the beat after Lillian: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Lillian Grace
3-1 beats · initials LG
Changes the beat after Lillian: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 95 in Northern Ireland
Lillian Anna
3-2 beats · initials LA
Changes the beat after Lillian: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 154 in Ireland
Lillian Emma
3-2 beats · initials LE
Changes the beat after Lillian: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 197 in Ireland
Lillian Alice
3-2 beats · initials LA
Changes the beat after Lillian: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Lillian Amelia
3-4 beats · initials LA
Changes the beat after Lillian: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables.
Same style as Lillian
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 5,890 in England and Wales
93% alike: moves with Lillian across countries and decades.
1 in 2,261 in England and Wales
91% alike: moves with Lillian across countries and decades.
1 in 325 in Ireland
91% alike: moves with Lillian across countries and decades.
1 in 162 in England and Wales
90% alike: moves with Lillian across countries and decades.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
89% alike: moves with Lillian across countries and decades.
1 in 326 in England and Wales
89% alike: moves with Lillian across countries and decades.
1 in 604 in Ireland
89% alike: moves with Lillian across countries and decades.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
89% alike: moves with Lillian across countries and decades.
Famous people named Lillian
Lillian Gish, Lillian Hellman, Lillian Moller Gilbreth, Lillian Wald, Lillian Copeland, Lillian Asplund, Lillian Roth and Lillian Ngoyi.
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American actor, actress, motion picture producers and director, screenwriter 1893 to 1993
-
American dramatist and screenwriter (1905-1984)
-
American psychologist and industrial engineer (1878–1972)
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American nurse and activist (1867–1940)
-
American athletics competitor (born 1904)
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One of the last three living survivors:RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912 1906 to 2006
-
American actress, singer (1910-1980)
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South African anti-apartheid activist (1911–1980)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Lillian
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Lillian?
Her best rank is No. 72 in British Columbia in 2023, about 1 in 342 girls. She is in the published lists of 12 of our 40 regions.
What does Lillian mean?
Wiktionary glosses Lillian as "lily".
How do you pronounce Lillian?
LIL-ee-un, with 3 syllables.
Is Lillian getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 2 of 9 regions, falling in 4.
Which sister names go with Lillian?
The deck's top five sisters for Lillian: Leona, Frances, Martha, Ellen and Faye. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.