girl's name
Lillie
LIL-ee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 169,565
the United States
#676
2025 births
Lillie is a girl's name from the flower, which has stood for purity in Christian art for so long that the association predates the name. It ranks 141st in Scotland and 227th in England and Wales.
- Lillie is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1919, when 3,277 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 7,894 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lillie over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 9,507 |
| 1890s | 14,168 |
| 1900s | 15,463 |
| 1910s | 24,771 |
| 1920s | 29,587 |
| 1930s | 20,135 |
| 1940s | 15,458 |
| 1950s | 9,655 |
| 1960s | 3,890 |
| 1970s | 1,404 |
| 1980s | 1,004 |
| 1990s | 1,615 |
| 2000s | 5,248 |
| 2010s | 5,506 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,380 |
What Lillie means
Lillie means lily, from the Latin lilium. The flower carries the meaning: it is the emblem of purity in Christian art and appears in almost every painting of the Annunciation, so the name imports that reading rather than stating it.
Where Lillie comes from
Lillie is a spelling of Lily, from the Latin lilium, the flower. Its symbolic weight is older than its use as a name: the white lily is Mary's flower, held by Gabriel in Annunciation scenes from the medieval period onward, and it stands for purity throughout Christian art. The name came into English use in the nineteenth century with the general Victorian fashion for flower names — Rose, Violet, Daisy, Iris. Lillie Langtry, the Jersey-born actress and mistress of Edward VII, carried this spelling specifically and was among the first people to be famous largely for being photographed. Lily is also a short form of Lilian, which is a separate name from Elizabeth rather than from the flower, and the two have been feeding each other for a century.
Lillie in use
Lillie ranks 141st in Scotland with 32 births in 2024 and 227th in England and Wales with 205 births, and it is falling in our data from a peak in 1919 — a Victorian and Edwardian name that had a second life and is receding again. Our records carry it from 1880. It holds 676th in the United States, and Lily and Lilly appear separately in every register.
How popular is Lillie?
In 2025, Lillie was given to 420 babies in the United States, ranking #676 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Lillie is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Lillie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lillie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lillie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Lillie
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Lillie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Swedish
- Lilly
Sibling names for Lillie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lillie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lillie
What does the name Lillie mean?
Lillie means "lily," from the Latin lilium — the flower that stands for purity in Christian art.
What is the difference between Lillie and Lily?
Only spelling. Lillie is the older Victorian form; registers count Lily, Lilly and Lillie separately.
Is Lilian related?
Lilian comes from Elizabeth rather than the flower, though the two names have influenced each other.
How popular is Lillie?
141st in Scotland and 227th in England and Wales.
Is Lillie a girl's or a boy's name?
Lillie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lillie?
Lillie has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Lillie?
Lillie is usually shortened to Lilly and Silly.
Is Lillie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lillie currently ranks #141 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.