girl's name
Lily
LIL-ee
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 322,639
the United States
#18
2025 births
Lily is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "lily flower," from lilium. The flower carried strong associations with purity in medieval Christian art, where the white Madonna lily was a standard symbol of the Virgin Mary, and the name draws on that tradition as much as on the plant itself.
- Lily is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2011, when 8,199 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 234 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Lily over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Lily is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. 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 | 680 |
| 1890s | 979 |
| 1900s | 1,045 |
| 1910s | 2,795 |
| 1920s | 3,762 |
| 1930s | 2,234 |
| 1940s | 1,511 |
| 1950s | 1,426 |
| 1960s | 1,148 |
| 1970s | 1,220 |
| 1980s | 2,714 |
| 1990s | 9,772 |
| 2000s | 56,263 |
| 2010s | 68,363 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 35,877 |
What Lily means
Lily means the lily flower, from the Latin lilium. Beyond the plant, the name carries centuries of symbolic association with purity and innocence, built up through religious painting where a white lily was the conventional attribute of the Virgin Mary.
Where Lily comes from
Lily comes from the Latin lilium, the word for the flower, which passed into Old English as lilie and stayed close to its original form. The flower held a fixed symbolic role in medieval and Renaissance Christian art: a white Madonna lily appears in countless Annunciation scenes as shorthand for purity. Lily was in occasional use as a given name from the Middle Ages, sometimes also as a pet form of Elizabeth, but it became genuinely popular during the Victorian flower-name fashion of the nineteenth century, alongside Rose, Daisy, and Violet. In modern use it functions both as a standalone name and as a short form of Lilian and Lillian.
How popular is Lily?
In 2025, Lily was given to 2,249 babies in England and Wales, ranking #2 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Lily is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Lily
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lily also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lily over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Lily
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.
Lily 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 Lily
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lily — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lily
What does the name Lily mean?
Lily means the lily flower, from the Latin lilium.
Is Lily short for Lillian?
It can be, though Lily is also long established as a name in its own right.
Why is the lily associated with purity?
The white Madonna lily was a standard symbol of the Virgin Mary in medieval and Renaissance religious art.
How popular is the name Lily?
In 2025, Lily was given to 2,249 babies in England and Wales, ranking #2 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Lily a girl's or a boy's name?
Lily is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Lily?
Lily has 2 syllables.
When was Lily most popular?
Lily peaked in 2011, when 8,199 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Lily?
Lily is usually shortened to Lil.
Is Lily a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lily currently ranks #1 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.