Lillian
Girl nameLillian has been given to 476,457 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1920 and currently ranks #57 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin
Used since the sixteenth century, possibly originally a pet form of Elizabeth, but generally accepted as a variant of Late Latin lilium (“lily”).
Origin: Latin
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
476,457
Peak year
1920 (10,075 babies)
Rank in 2025
#57 for girls
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -40%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Lillian
Lillian Gish
American actress (1893–1993)
Lillian Hellman
American dramatist and screenwriter (1905-1984)
Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland
Welsh model who became a member of the Swedish royal family (1915-2013)
Lillian Moller Gilbreth
American psychologist and industrial engineer (1878–1972)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Lillian.
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