girl's name
Lilou
lee-LOO
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 47,096
France
#224
2025 births
Lilou is a French invention of the 1990s, and its rise is one of the sharpest we hold for France — from almost nothing to 3,850 births at its 2009 peak, then down to 260 today.
- Lilou is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2009, when 3,850 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 2,267 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1972.
Lilou over time
Births per decade in France, 1970s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 10 |
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 280 |
| 2000s | 21,555 |
| 2010s | 21,335 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,950 |
What Lilou means
Lilou has no inherited meaning. It is a modern French blend, generally read as Lily joined to Lou, so any sense it carries belongs to the two names behind it.
Where Lilou comes from
Lilou is a recent French coinage, usually explained as a blend of Lily with Lou, the short form of Louise. Neither element is certain and the name has no history before the late twentieth century. The lily reading gives it the Latin lilium; the Lou reading gives it the Germanic Hludwig, famous in battle, by way of Louise. Our records carry it from 1972, but the volume is overwhelmingly post-1995.
Lilou in use
Lilou peaked in France in 2009, when 3,850 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 224th in France on 260 births, 4169th in England and Wales on 6 and 7461st in the United States on 15, across 47,096 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. France holds essentially the whole of its history.
How popular is Lilou?
In 2025, Lilou was given to 260 babies in France, ranking #224 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Lilou is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Lilou is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Li-Lou | Li-Lou is Lilou written with a hyphen, recorded mostly in France. | 40 |
| Lïlou | Lïlou is a rare spelling of Lilou, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Lilou
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lilou also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lilou over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Lilou 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.
Sibling names for Lilou
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lilou — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lilou
What does the name Lilou mean?
Nothing inherited. It is a modern French blend of Lily and Lou.
How old is the name?
Recent. Our records begin in 1972 and the volume is overwhelmingly post-1995.
Is it used outside France?
Barely — 4169th in England and Wales and 7461st in the United States.
How popular is Lilou?
224th in France, down from a 2009 peak of 3,850 births.
Is Lilou a girl's or a boy's name?
Lilou is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
Is Lilou a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lilou currently ranks #224 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.