Girl · English
Lillian
Say it: LIL-ee-un
Meaning
Uncertain: probably from Lily (the flower), or a pet form of Elizabeth.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
A Victorian name in the US top 20 around 1900, it returned to popularity in the 2010s.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1890s
In the United States
- 455,882 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1898, about 1 in 85 girls
- 4,473 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Lilian
| French | Liliane |
|---|
Famous bearers
- Lillian Gish, US actress
- Lillian Hellman, US playwright
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.