Lilian
Lilian was given to 537 girls in 2025, #560 among girls’ names; 20,470 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 18,100 Americans named Lilian and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (89% of everyone recorded); the median is 17 years old and half are between 10 and 24.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Lilian by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Lilian mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Lilian is “a female given name from Latin.” Its etymology gives the sense “lily” (lilium).
Used since the sixteenth century, possibly originally a pet form of Elizabeth, but generally accepted as a variant of Late Latin lilium (“lily”).
/ˈlɪli.ən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Lilian?
#560 among girls’ names, 2025
Lilian fell from #497 in 2015 to #560 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 0.36 to 0.33 per 1,000.
786 babies in 2007, the peak
Lilian peaked in 2007, when 786 girls were given it, #417 among girls’ names. The 537 births of 2025 are 68% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 537 | #560 | 0.33 |
| 2024 | 544 | #558 | 0.34 |
| 2023 | 543 | #558 | 0.34 |
| 2022 | 519 | #577 | 0.32 |
| 2021 | 464 | #639 | 0.28 |
| 2020 | 439 | #656 | 0.27 |
| 2019 | 502 | #603 | 0.30 |
| 2018 | 494 | #612 | 0.29 |
| 2017 | 508 | #589 | 0.29 |
| 2016 | 560 | #559 | 0.32 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 641 | #497 | 0.36 |
| 2014 | 622 | #502 | 0.35 |
| 2013 | 605 | #495 | 0.34 |
| 2012 | 676 | #463 | 0.38 |
| 2011 | 645 | #462 | 0.37 |
| 2010 | 682 | #452 | 0.38 |
| 2009 | 728 | #436 | 0.40 |
| 2008 | 730 | #435 | 0.39 |
| 2007 | 786 | #417 | 0.41 |
| 2006 | 724 | #441 | 0.38 |
| 2005 | 650 | #474 | 0.35 |
| 2004 | 541 | #526 | 0.29 |
| 2003 | 497 | #557 | 0.27 |
| 2002 | 440 | #587 | 0.24 |
| 2001 | 359 | #694 | 0.20 |
| 2000 | 328 | #709 | 0.18 |
| 1999 | 265 | #819 | 0.15 |
| 1998 | 264 | #807 | 0.15 |
| 1997 | 213 | #936 | 0.12 |
| 1996 | 186 | #1,009 | 0.11 |
| 1995 | 151 | #1,151 | 0.09 |
| 1994 | 143 | #1,223 | 0.08 |
| 1993 | 155 | #1,144 | 0.09 |
| 1992 | 129 | #1,304 | 0.07 |
| 1991 | 164 | #1,096 | 0.09 |
| 1990 | 147 | #1,170 | 0.08 |
| 1989 | 97 | #1,489 | 0.05 |
| 1988 | 99 | #1,414 | 0.06 |
| 1987 | 89 | #1,461 | 0.05 |
| 1986 | 62 | #1,827 | 0.04 |
| 1985 | 66 | #1,734 | 0.04 |
| 1984 | 68 | #1,626 | 0.04 |
| 1983 | 60 | #1,783 | 0.04 |
| 1982 | 58 | #1,862 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 65 | #1,747 | 0.04 |
| 1980 | 53 | #1,994 | 0.03 |
| 1979 | 53 | #1,961 | 0.03 |
| 1978 | 51 | #1,928 | 0.03 |
| 1977 | 40 | #2,286 | 0.03 |
| 1976 | 50 | #1,855 | 0.03 |
| 1975 | 42 | #2,082 | 0.03 |
| 1974 | 61 | #1,569 | 0.04 |
| 1973 | 50 | #1,761 | 0.03 |
| 1972 | 46 | #1,843 | 0.03 |
| 1971 | 40 | #2,085 | 0.02 |
| 1970 | 42 | #1,997 | 0.02 |
| 1969 | 39 | #2,015 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 38 | #1,963 | 0.02 |
| 1967 | 35 | #1,991 | 0.02 |
| 1966 | 34 | #2,001 | 0.02 |
| 1965 | 30 | #2,186 | 0.02 |
| 1964 | 24 | #2,566 | 0.01 |
| 1963 | 22 | #2,665 | 0.01 |
| 1962 | 25 | #2,441 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 27 | #2,334 | 0.01 |
| 1960 | 41 | #1,776 | 0.02 |
| 1959 | 30 | #2,085 | 0.01 |
| 1958 | 27 | #2,190 | 0.01 |
| 1957 | 22 | #2,455 | 0.01 |
| 1956 | 18 | #2,779 | 0.01 |
| 1955 | 19 | #2,594 | 0.01 |
| 1954 | 15 | #2,961 | 0.01 |
| 1953 | 18 | #2,559 | 0.01 |
| 1952 | 8 | #4,317 | under 0.01 |
| 1951 | 18 | #2,439 | 0.01 |
| 1950 | 15 | #2,723 | 0.01 |
| 1949 | 16 | #2,581 | 0.01 |
| 1948 | 11 | #3,257 | 0.01 |
| 1947 | 21 | #2,168 | 0.01 |
| 1946 | 12 | #2,969 | 0.01 |
| 1945 | 10 | #3,028 | 0.01 |
| 1944 | 17 | #2,160 | 0.01 |
| 1943 | 21 | #1,925 | 0.02 |
| 1942 | 14 | #2,485 | 0.01 |
| 1941 | 19 | #1,928 | 0.02 |
| 1940 | 13 | #2,370 | 0.01 |
| 1939 | 13 | #2,364 | 0.01 |
| 1938 | 8 | #3,329 | 0.01 |
| 1937 | 8 | #3,312 | 0.01 |
| 1936 | 17 | #1,922 | 0.02 |
| 1935 | 14 | #2,253 | 0.01 |
| 1934 | 16 | #2,046 | 0.02 |
| 1933 | 23 | #1,578 | 0.02 |
| 1932 | 30 | #1,365 | 0.03 |
| 1931 | 24 | #1,573 | 0.02 |
| 1930 | 20 | #1,844 | 0.02 |
| 1929 | 16 | #2,139 | 0.01 |
| 1928 | 32 | #1,382 | 0.03 |
| 1927 | 31 | #1,471 | 0.03 |
| 1926 | 48 | #1,089 | 0.04 |
| 1925 | 38 | #1,280 | 0.03 |
| 1924 | 42 | #1,236 | 0.03 |
| 1923 | 51 | #1,072 | 0.04 |
| 1922 | 60 | #963 | 0.05 |
| 1921 | 54 | #1,026 | 0.04 |
| 1920 | 81 | #810 | 0.07 |
| 1919 | 67 | #854 | 0.06 |
| 1918 | 105 | #704 | 0.09 |
| 1917 | 77 | #789 | 0.07 |
| 1916 | 85 | #732 | 0.08 |
| 1915 | 75 | #765 | 0.08 |
| 1914 | 53 | #799 | 0.07 |
| 1913 | 55 | #705 | 0.09 |
| 1912 | 53 | #693 | 0.09 |
| 1911 | 34 | #748 | 0.08 |
| 1910 | 33 | #747 | 0.08 |
| 1909 | 30 | #741 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 32 | #688 | 0.10 |
| 1907 | 29 | #704 | 0.09 |
| 1906 | 28 | #696 | 0.09 |
| 1905 | 28 | #676 | 0.10 |
| 1904 | 28 | #661 | 0.10 |
| 1903 | 36 | #545 | 0.14 |
| 1902 | 18 | #836 | 0.07 |
| 1901 | 23 | #673 | 0.10 |
| 1900 | 30 | #648 | 0.10 |
| 1899 | 19 | #745 | 0.08 |
| 1898 | 33 | #564 | 0.13 |
| 1897 | 26 | #604 | 0.11 |
| 1896 | 37 | #482 | 0.16 |
| 1895 | 42 | #439 | 0.18 |
| 1894 | 22 | #636 | 0.10 |
| 1893 | 28 | #525 | 0.13 |
| 1892 | 24 | #572 | 0.11 |
| 1891 | 28 | #492 | 0.15 |
| 1890 | 21 | #575 | 0.11 |
| 1889 | 31 | #435 | 0.17 |
| 1888 | 22 | #541 | 0.12 |
| 1887 | 16 | #573 | 0.11 |
| 1886 | 24 | #445 | 0.17 |
| 1885 | 22 | #454 | 0.17 |
| 1884 | 22 | #432 | 0.17 |
| 1883 | 17 | #473 | 0.15 |
| 1882 | 24 | #367 | 0.22 |
| 1881 | 16 | #425 | 0.17 |
| 1880 | 19 | #380 | 0.21 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Lilian a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Lilian has been recorded only for girls: SSA lists no boys with the name in 146 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Lilian: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Lilian, and how old are they?
18,100 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 89% of the 20,470 Americans ever recorded as Lilian. The median Lilian alive today is 17 years old; half are between 10 and 24.
The 2020 Census counted 29,757 people named Lilian (29,622 women and girls, 135 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 15,356 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.9 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 83 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 308 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 656 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,700 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 8,440 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 6,940 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Lilian born?
The states with the most babies named Lilian are California, Texas and Illinois, with 33% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 75 | #447 | 1.3× |
| Texas | 61 | #525 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 28 | #371 | 1.0× |
| Florida | 28 | #625 | 0.7× |
| North Carolina | 25 | #449 | 0.6× |
| Pennsylvania | 21 | #502 | 0.6× |
| Ohio | 18 | #582 | 0.8× |
| Tennessee | 17 | #468 | 0.7× |
| Arizona | 16 | #437 | 1.0× |
| New York | 15 | #1,008 | 0.9× |
Where Lilian is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Lilian is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Lilian with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 509,566 babies since 1880, Lilian is the second most given (4.0% of them). In 2025 it was given to 537 of their 4,698 babies (11%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Lilian
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Lilian and names like it
- Compare Lilian and LillianBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sLilian peaked in 2007.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Lilian since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Lilian: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2007The year the most babies were named Lilian.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Lilian alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with LMost given first.