girls' name ★ peaked 1920

Lillian

Meaning lily Gender Girl Rank 2025 #57 Trend ↓ Falling 20%

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
#57
among girls · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
3,966
named Lillian · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 405
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1920
10,075 babies
All-time total
476,457
#69 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Lillian popularity over time

476,457 babies have been named Lillian 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
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 11,270 38 11,308 1,131 – #23
1890s 24,106 104 24,210 2,421 +114% #10
1900s 32,519 127 32,646 3,265 +35% #10
1910s 75,914 244 76,158 7,616 +133% #13
1920s 83,160 332 83,492 8,349 +10% #18
1930s 37,391 225 37,616 3,762 -55% #44
1940s 22,315 90 22,405 2,241 -40% #97
1950s 16,509 51 16,560 1,656 -26% #156
1960s 10,606 57 10,663 1,066 -36% #223
1970s 5,364 15 5,379 538 -50% #335
1980s 5,390 14 5,404 540 0% #369
1990s 11,229 13 11,242 1,124 +108% #147
2000s 49,393 73 49,466 4,947 +340% #27
2010s 64,960 41 65,001 6,500 +31% #22
2020s (to 2025) 24,902 5 24,907 4,151 -36% #46

Where Lillian 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 3,825 2.38 #60
2027 3,709 2.31 #63
2028 3,613 2.25 #63
2029 3,534 2.20 #66
2030 3,468 2.16 #69

Where Lillian is most popular

Girls named Lillian per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 2.51 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, West Virginia, and Maine.

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 Lillian 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
Vermont 55 11.3 +352%
West Virginia 206 7.86 +213%
Maine 117 7.56 +201%
New Hampshire 133 7.20 +187%
Alaska 60 6.97 +177%
Wyoming 28 6.57 +161%
South Dakota 91 6.37 +154%
Montana 74 5.47 +118%
North Dakota 71 5.40 +115%
District of Columbia 63 5.32 +112%
Delaware 58 5.11 +103%
Missouri 612 5.08 +102%
Nebraska 181 5.04 +100%
Kentucky 426 4.98 +98%
Rhode Island 61 4.87 +94%
Iowa 272 4.65 +85%
Alabama 428 4.56 +81%
Arkansas 237 4.48 +78%
Ohio 1,061 4.47 +78%
Wisconsin 455 4.42 +76%
Minnesota 472 4.37 +74%
South Carolina 392 4.36 +74%
Michigan 774 4.25 +69%
Tennessee 673 4.25 +69%
Massachusetts 508 4.20 +67%
Indiana 586 4.17 +66%
Mississippi 195 4.17 +66%
Connecticut 240 4.13 +64%
Louisiana 357 4.08 +62%
Virginia 693 4.07 +62%
Pennsylvania 938 3.97 +58%
North Carolina 889 3.90 +55%
Kansas 223 3.87 +54%
Idaho 122 3.65 +45%
Maryland 386 3.64 +45%
Oklahoma 261 3.55 +41%
Colorado 384 3.44 +37%
Oregon 223 3.42 +36%
Hawaii 39 3.40 +35%
Illinois 770 3.36 +34%
Washington 419 2.90 +15%
Georgia 626 2.76 +10%
New Mexico 59 2.43 ≈ national
Utah 201 2.42 ≈ national
Nevada 112 2.41 ≈ national
Arizona 311 2.22 -12%
Florida 948 2.22 -12%
New Jersey 394 2.18 -13%
New York 847 2.14 -15%
Texas 1,523 1.89 -25%
California 1,122 1.33 -47%

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 Lillian

Lillian is a top-100 name for girls in the United States, ranked #57 in 2025 with 3,966 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 476,457 American babies have been named Lillian. Its peak came in 1920, when 10,075 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Lillian stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lillian?

The median living Lillian is about 18 years old; half are between 10 and 51. An estimated 209 thousand people named Lillian are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

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

Lillian year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 3,966 #57 – –
2024 3,893 #54 – –
2023 3,940 #55 – –
2022 4,260 #50 – –
2021 4,328 #51 – –
2020 4,515 #46 5 #13,292
2019 5,127 #37 – –
2018 5,567 #34 – –
2017 6,181 #27 7 #10,354
2016 6,386 #28 10 #7,928
2015 6,628 #26 5 #13,262
2014 6,924 #25 – –
2013 7,085 #26 5 #13,286
2012 7,171 #25 5 #13,441
2011 6,934 #22 9 #8,508
2010 6,957 #22 – –
2009 6,861 #27 6 #11,890
2008 6,817 #29 9 #8,731
2007 6,552 #33 10 #7,949
2006 6,236 #38 10 #7,785
2005 5,215 #50 9 #8,054
2004 4,734 #65 24 #3,816
2003 4,030 #76 – –
2002 3,397 #96 – –
2001 2,951 #111 – –
2000 2,600 #129 5 #11,478
1995 942 #294 – –
1990 722 #366 8 #6,184
1985 540 #413 8 #4,982
1980 510 #425 – –
1975 454 #437 – –
1970 782 #335 5 #5,155
1965 1,016 #272 9 #2,905
1960 1,433 #223 10 #2,790
1955 1,658 #195 8 #3,108
1950 1,884 #156 – –
1945 2,017 #124 9 #2,507
1940 2,525 #97 13 #2,045
1935 3,423 #66 16 #1,800
1930 5,447 #44 30 #1,317
1925 8,351 #25 24 #1,560
1920 10,049 #18 26 #1,484
1915 9,546 #15 24 #1,394
1910 4,127 #14 15 #806
1905 3,185 #13 11 #776
1900 3,414 #10 11 #824
1895 2,495 #16 12 #628
1890 1,862 #19 10 #648
1885 1,143 #27 – –
1880 672 #32 – –

Famous people named Lillian

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

  1. 1 Lillian Gish Lillian Gish American actress (1893–1993) 19th century
  2. 2 Lillian Disney Lillian Disney Wife of Walt Disney (1899–1997) 19th century
  3. 3 Lillian Hellman Lillian Hellman American dramatist and screenwriter (1905–1984) Contemporary
  4. 4 Lillian Roth Lillian Roth American actress, singer (1910-1980) Contemporary
  5. 5 Lillian Moller Gilbreth Lillian Moller Gilbreth American psychologist and industrial engineer 1878–1972 · 19th century
  6. 6 Lillian Asplund Lillian Asplund Titanic survivor (1906–2006) Contemporary
  7. 7 Lillian Board Lillian Board British runner (1948–1970) Contemporary
  8. 8 Lillian Copeland Lillian Copeland American athlete (1904–1964) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lillian?

The median living Lillian is about 18 years old. Half of all living Lillians are between 10 and 51 years old.

How many people named Lillian are alive today?

An estimated 209 thousand people named Lillian are alive in the United States, based on 476,457 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Lillian 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 Lillian in 2025?

Lillian ranked #57 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 3,966 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lillian?

476,457 babies have been named Lillian in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lillian most popular?

Lillian peaked in 1920, when 10,075 newborns received the name.

Is Lillian a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Lillian rising or falling?

Lillian is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Lillian become more popular?

Lillian is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 3,468 girls named Lillian in 2030, which would rank around #69. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Lillian?

Well-known people named Lillian include Lillian Gish (actor), Lillian Disney (religious figure), Lillian Hellman (writer).

Names like Lillian

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

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