Girl's name
Lily
Say it LIL-ee
English origin lily (flower)
2 syllables
Where Lily is loved, common and rare
Loved in Ireland, the UK, British Columbia and six more places. Common across Ontario, the Netherlands, Sweden and six more places. Rare in Norway, four German cities, Austria and three more places.
1 in 70 girls born in Ireland in 2025
Ireland 1stEngland and Wales 2ndNorthern Ireland 5th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 29 of the 40 official lists, among them Ireland (1st), England and Wales (2nd) and Northern Ireland (5th).
Show all 29 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 1st 2025 | 302 | 1 in 70 |
| England and Wales | 2nd 2025 | 2,249 | 1 in 113 |
| Northern Ireland | 5th 2025 | 96 | 1 in 76 |
| New Zealand | 6th 2025 | 155 | rank only |
| Victoria state | 7th 2025 | 262 | rank only |
| Scotland | 8th 2025 | 193 | 1 in 93 |
| New South Wales state | 9th 2025 | 257 | rank only |
| Queensland state | 9th 2025 | 191 | rank only |
| South Australia state | 9th 2025 | 61 | rank only |
| British Columbia province | 10th 2023 | 98 | about 1 in 122 |
| The Netherlands | 15th 2025 | 449 | about 1 in 136 |
| Ontario province | 15th 2024 | 325 | about 1 in 168 |
| Sweden | 31st 2025 | 265 | about 1 in 152 |
| Quebec province | 33rd 2025 | 156 | about 1 in 167 |
| France | 70th 2025 | 670 | 1 in 428 |
| Switzerland | 78th 2025 | 92 | 1 in 370 |
| Norway | 121st 2025 | 46 | 1 in 474 |
| Munich city | 124th 2025 | 10 | about 1 in 419 |
| Berlin city | 130th 2023 | 25 | about 1 in 580 |
| Austria | 174th 2025 | 35 | 1 in 1,021 |
| Poland | 176th 2025 | 51 | 1 in 2,349 |
| Cologne city | 217th 2023 | 5 | about 1 in 1,229 |
| Catalonia region | 463rd 2025 | 6 | 1 in 3,212 |
| Italy | 736th 2024 | 14 | 1 in 12,798 |
| Nova Scotia province | 5th 2025 | 24 | rank only |
| Denmark | 13th 2025 | 365 | rank only |
| Rostock city | 92nd 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 492 |
| Bonn city | 99th 2025 | 6 | about 1 in 502 |
| Leipzig city | 344th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 2,624 |
Rare, below the listed names: Spain, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: 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: Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), SmartStart (New Zealand); Registry of BDM Victoria (DataVic) (Victoria); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (Data.NSW) (New South Wales); Queensland Registry of BDM (Qld Open Data Portal) (Queensland); SA Attorney-General's Department, Births, Deaths and Marriages (data.sa.gov.au) (South Australia); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Nova Scotia Vital Statistics (data.novascotia.ca) (Nova Scotia); Statistics Denmark (DST) (Denmark); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
One of the flower names that became popular in the 19th century, Lily is taken straight from the lily. It has also served as a pet form of Lilian and sometimes of Elizabeth.
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Said LIL-ee, it has two gentle syllables and a soft, clear sound. Lilly, Lillie and Lili are common spellings of the same name, and Lila, Lilia and Lilian are close relatives.
Lily is the leading girls' name in Ireland and second in England and Wales, and it is well used in Northern Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands. Its momentum is strong: it is rising in 15 of the places where it is recorded and falling in only two, so it shows no sign of fading.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- LIL-ee, 2 syllables
- Meaning
lily (flower)
- Origin
- English
- Other spellings
- Lillie
- Lili
- Lilja
- Lilly
- Lila
- Lilli
- Lilia
- Lilian
- Lilyanna
- Liliia
- Lile
- Liliya
- Lilo
- Lilette
- Liilia
- Lilija
- Lilidh
- Azucena
Etymology
A 19th-century flower name, from lily. Also a diminutive of Lilian and sometimes Elizabeth.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 15 of 28 regions, falling in 2.
Show the yearsShow less
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 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Scotland | 12 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 4 | 8 |
| Northern Ireland | 6 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Ireland | 10 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| Ontario | 18 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 13 | 17 | 10 | 13 | 15 | |
| British Columbia | 13 | 31 | 14 | 15 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 10 | ||
| Nova Scotia | 13 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 19 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 5 |
| New South Wales | 24 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 11 | 9 |
| Victoria | 20 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 |
| Queensland | 22 | 22 | 26 | 29 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 19 | 9 |
| South Australia | 14 | 16 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 9 |
| New Zealand | 12 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| Quebec | 68 | 68 | 53 | 42 | 48 | 42 | 40 | 44 | 40 | 33 |
| France | 59 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 66 | 64 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 70 |
| The Netherlands | 83 | 78 | 75 | 102 | 65 | 46 | 46 | 35 | 15 | |
| Austria | 256 | 312 | 281 | 441 | 452 | 302 | 326 | 286 | 250 | 174 |
| Switzerland | 101 | 114 | 128 | 102 | 138 | 129 | 110 | 94 | 95 | 78 |
| Berlin | 310 | 213 | 165 | 233 | 198 | 206 | 176 | 130 | ||
| Munich | 239 | 203 | 129 | 208 | 159 | 152 | 157 | 151 | 148 | 124 |
| Cologne | 370 | 288 | 598 | 273 | 320 | 170 | 157 | 217 | ||
| Bonn | 119 | 365 | 371 | 117 | 264 | 139 | 176 | 362 | 99 | |
| Leipzig | 375 | 411 | 411 | 378 | 134 | 132 | 112 | 130 | 117 | 344 |
| Rostock | 283 | 228 | 202 | 202 | 197 | 122 | 174 | 92 | ||
| Norway | 123 | 135 | 114 | 133 | 160 | 120 | 140 | 105 | 90 | 121 |
| Sweden | 33 | 51 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 43 | 54 | 40 | 37 | 31 |
| Denmark | 29 | 24 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 13 |
| Catalonia | 486 | 373 | 316 | 320 | 400 | 297 | 463 | |||
| Italy | 957 | 755 | 736 | |||||||
| Poland | 148 | 183 | 177 | 211 | 234 | 204 | 189 | 162 | 184 | 176 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 2,249 | 887.9 |
| 2024 | 3 | 2,185 | 846.9 |
| 2023 | 4 | 2,290 | 892.6 |
| 2022 | 5 | 2,281 | 865.6 |
| 2021 | 7 | 2,182 | 796.2 |
| 2020 | 7 | 2,150 | 801.0 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2,285 | 815.9 |
| 2018 | 13 | 2,184 | 757.6 |
| 2017 | 10 | 2,405 | 804.1 |
| 2016 | 7 | 2,722 | 886.2 |
| 2015 | 13 | 2,717 | 882.3 |
| 2014 | 9 | 2,969 | 968.1 |
| 2013 | 12 | 2,891 | 937.2 |
| 2012 | 5 | 3,809 | 1,182.7 |
| 2011 | 3 | 4,769 | 1,484.2 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4,265 | 1,328.5 |
| 2009 | 8 | 3,976 | 1,268.7 |
| 2008 | 8 | 4,059 | 1,285.5 |
| 2007 | 8 | 4,025 | 1,314.8 |
| 2006 | 9 | 3,418 | 1,142.2 |
| 2005 | 16 | 2,881 | 999.5 |
| 2004 | 16 | 2,813 | 984.1 |
| 2003 | 23 | 2,226 | 798.8 |
| 2002 | 28 | 1,706 | 638.1 |
| 2001 | 35 | 1,368 | 510.5 |
| 2000 | 45 | 1,128 | 412.9 |
| 1999 | 53 | 1,007 | 357.5 |
| 1998 | 61 | 873 | 301.9 |
| 1997 | 75 | 721 | 245.9 |
| 1996 | 85 | 651 | 219.9 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Lily in France since 1925 were born in or after 2012. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 2011, at 442.0 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Lily per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2011 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Lily
1 in 124 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lily.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Lily.
1 in 166 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Lily.
1 in 109 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Lily.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Lily.
1 in 108 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lily.
1 in 99 in Scotland
1 in 459 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lily.
1 in 109 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lily.
1 in 132 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Lily.
Middle names for Lily
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Lily Grace
2-1 beats · initials LG
Changes the beat after Lily: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Lily Olivia
2-4 beats · initials LO · Lily slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Lily: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Lily slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Lily Sophia
2-3 beats · initials LS
Changes the beat after Lily: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Lily Maria
2-3 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Lily: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Lily Rose
2-1 beats · initials LR
Changes the beat after Lily: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Lily Julia
2-3 beats · initials LJ
Changes the beat after Lily: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Lily Miriam
2-3 beats · initials LM
Changes the beat after Lily: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Lily Charlotte
2-2 beats · initials LC
A close match on style, era and popularity. Same length as Lily: 2 syllables.
Same style as Lily
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 118 in Ireland
98% alike: moves with Lily across countries and decades.
1 in 126 in Ireland
97% alike: moves with Lily across countries and decades.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
97% alike: moves with Lily across countries and decades.
1 in 99 in Scotland
97% alike: moves with Lily across countries and decades.
1 in 88 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Lily across countries and decades.
1 in 109 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Lily across countries and decades.
1 in 109 in Ireland
96% alike: moves with Lily across countries and decades.
1 in 124 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Lily across countries and decades.
Famous people named Lily
Lily Allen, Lily Collins, Lily Tomlin, Lily James, Lily Rabe, Lily Cole, Lily Aldridge and Lily Pons.
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British singer and actress born 1985
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British-American actress (born 1989)
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American actress born 1939
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British actress (born 1989)
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American actress (born 1982)
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English model and actress (born 1987)
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American model born 1985
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American opera singer and actress (1898-1976)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Lily
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Lily?
Her best rank is No. 1 in Ireland in 2025, about 1 in 70 girls. She is in the published lists of 29 of our 40 regions.
What does Lily mean?
Wiktionary glosses Lily as "lily (flower)".
How do you pronounce Lily?
LIL-ee, with 2 syllables.
Is Lily getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 15 of 28 regions, falling in 2.
Which sister names go with Lily?
The deck's top five sisters for Lily: Ivy, Grace, Sienna, Ellie and Ruby. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.