girls' name ★ peaked 2007

Lilian

Meaning lily Gender Girl Rank 2025 #560 Trend ↑ Rising 17%

Used since the sixteenth century, possibly originally a pet form of Elizabeth, but generally accepted as a variant of Late Latin lilium (“lily”).

Rank 2025
#560
among girls · ↓2 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
537
named Lilian · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,993
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2007
786 babies
All-time total
20,470
#1,052 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Lilian popularity over time

20,470 babies have been named Lilian since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2007Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s 213 21 – #367
1890s 280 28 +31% #439
1900s 282 28 +1% #545
1910s 637 64 +126% #693
1920s 453 45 -29% #810
1930s 173 17 -62% #1,365
1940s 154 15 -11% #1,926
1950s 190 19 +23% #2,086
1960s 315 32 +66% #1,777
1970s 475 48 +51% #1,569
1980s 717 72 +51% #1,415
1990s 1,817 182 +153% #807
2000s 5,783 578 +218% #417
2010s 5,935 594 +3% #452
2020s (to 2025) 3,046 508 -14% #558

Where Lilian is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 550 0.34 outside top 500
2027 561 0.35 outside top 500
2028 571 0.36 outside top 500
2029 579 0.36 outside top 500
2030 586 0.36 outside top 500

Where Lilian is most popular

Girls named Lilian per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.321 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, Colorado, and Wisconsin.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Lilian born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Arizona 77 0.549 +71%
Colorado 61 0.546 +70%
Wisconsin 55 0.534 +66%
Massachusetts 60 0.496 +54%
Maryland 52 0.491 +53%
Kansas 28 0.485 +51%
Virginia 81 0.475 +48%
Minnesota 51 0.473 +47%
South Carolina 42 0.467 +45%
Illinois 104 0.454 +41%
Kentucky 38 0.444 +38%
Hawaii 5 0.436 +36%
Arkansas 23 0.435 +35%
Washington 62 0.429 +34%
Utah 34 0.409 +27%
New Jersey 72 0.399 +24%
Texas 314 0.390 +21%
Indiana 54 0.385 +20%
North Carolina 87 0.382 +19%
California 321 0.382 +19%
Pennsylvania 87 0.368 +15%
Tennessee 58 0.366 +14%
Nevada 17 0.366 +14%
Nebraska 13 0.362 +13%
Missouri 43 0.357 +11%
Oklahoma 26 0.353 +10%
Louisiana 29 0.331 ≈ national
Michigan 60 0.329 ≈ national
Ohio 78 0.329 ≈ national
Maine 5 0.323 ≈ national
Georgia 72 0.317 ≈ national
Florida 135 0.316 ≈ national
New York 118 0.298 -7%
Connecticut 16 0.275 -14%
New Hampshire 5 0.271 -16%
Alabama 20 0.213 -34%
Oregon 13 0.200 -38%
Iowa 6 0.103 -68%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Idaho – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Lilian

Lilian is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #560 in 2025 with 537 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 20,470 American babies have been named Lilian. Its peak came in 2007, when 786 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Lilian stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lilian?

The median living Lilian is about 16 years old; half are between 9 and 23. An estimated 18 thousand people named Lilian are alive in the United States today.

median 16 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Lilian year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 537 #560
2024 544 #558
2023 543 #558
2022 519 #577
2021 464 #639
2020 439 #656
2019 502 #603
2018 494 #612
2017 508 #589
2016 560 #559
2015 641 #497
2014 622 #502
2013 605 #495
2012 676 #463
2011 645 #462
2010 682 #452
2009 728 #436
2008 730 #435
2007 786 #417
2006 724 #441
2005 650 #474
2004 541 #526
2003 497 #557
2002 440 #587
2001 359 #694
2000 328 #709
1995 151 #1,154
1990 147 #1,174
1985 66 #1,735
1980 53 #1,994
1975 42 #2,082
1970 42 #1,997
1965 30 #2,186
1960 41 #1,777
1955 19 #2,595
1950 15 #2,724
1945 10 #3,029
1940 13 #2,371
1935 14 #2,254
1930 20 #1,845
1925 38 #1,280
1920 81 #810
1915 75 #765
1910 33 #747
1905 28 #676
1900 30 #648
1895 42 #439
1890 21 #575
1885 22 #454
1880 19 #380

Famous people named Lilian

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Lilian Garcia Lilian Garcia American ring announcer and singer (born 1966) Contemporary
  2. 2 Lilian Harvey Lilian Harvey British-born German actress and singer 1906–1968 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Lilian, Princess of Réthy Lilian, Princess of Réthy Second wife of Leopold III of Belgium (1916–2002) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lilian Jackson Braun American writer 1913–2011 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Lilian Bond Lilian Bond English-American actress (1908–1991) Contemporary
  6. 6 Lilian Calmejane Lilian Calmejane French cyclist (born 1992) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Lilian, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Lilian?

The median living Lilian is about 16 years old. Half of all living Lilians are between 9 and 23 years old.

How many people named Lilian are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Lilian are alive in the United States, based on 20,470 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lilian mean?

Used since the sixteenth century, possibly originally a pet form of Elizabeth, but generally accepted as a variant of Late Latin lilium (“lily”).

How popular is the name Lilian in 2025?

Lilian ranked #560 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 537 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lilian?

20,470 babies have been named Lilian in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lilian most popular?

Lilian peaked in 2007, when 786 newborns received the name.

Is Lilian a boy or girl name?

Lilian is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Lilian rising or falling?

Lilian has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Lilian become more popular?

Lilian is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 586 girls named Lilian in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lilian?

Well-known people named Lilian include Lilian Garcia (singer), Lilian Harvey (actor), Lilian, Princess of Réthy (companion).

Names like Lilian

Names that sound and feel close to Lilian: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Lilian with similar names → More names starting with L →