Fun Facts About the Name Lily
- Gaining ground: Lily remained in the U.S. top 100 for 24 consecutive years, from 2002 through 2025. In 2025, it gained 6 ranking positions compared with the previous year.
- More than 189 thousand babies named Lily: U.S. records list 189,719 babies given the name Lily from 1880 through 2025. Even 145 boys received the name Lily - about 1 boy for every 1,307 girls.
What Does the Name Lily Mean?
Lily is an English given name taken directly from the flower, and its established meaning is "lily." The English word descends from Old English lilie, which came from Latin lilium, itself borrowed from Greek leirion (λείριον), the ordinary Greek word for the lily. The deeper origin of the Greek word is uncertain: it is generally treated as a loan from a pre-Greek or Mediterranean language, and no reliable Indo-European root has been identified.
A second use explains many instances of the name. Lily has long served as a short form of Elizabeth, and the related name Lillian is usually explained the same way, later influenced by the flower name. In that use the name carries no flower meaning; it is simply a familiar form. When Lily is treated as a name in its own right, the flower meaning is the one normally given.
The lily is also a traditional emblem of purity, especially in Christian art, but that is a symbolic association rather than part of the name's etymology.
Lily Name History & Origins
Flower names became fashionable in the English-speaking world in the 19th century, and Lily was one of them, alongside Rose, Violet, Daisy, and Ivy. The name is also much older in a different role: Lily appears in English records as a pet form of Elizabeth, one of the many familiar shortenings of that name along with Bess, Betty, Eliza, and Libby.
The lily's symbolic role in Christian art likely encouraged the name's use. In paintings of the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel is often shown holding a lily, and the flower is a traditional emblem of purity linked with the Virgin Mary. The plant also appears in the Bible, in the Gospels' "lilies of the field" (Matthew 6:28) and the "lily among thorns" of the Song of Songs, though the Hebrew word behind the latter, shoshannah, may refer to a different flower.
The Hebrew shoshannah is the source of the name Susanna, which therefore also means "lily," but the Hebrew and English words are unrelated and the two names have separate histories.
How Popular is the Name Lily?
Lily recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2011. Lily entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 2002.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #18 | 6,673 | 0.4152% |
| 2024 | #24 | 6,093 | 0.3777% |
| 2023 | #20 | 6,170 | 0.3850% |
| 2022 | #30 | 6,007 | 0.3666% |
| 2021 | #31 | 5,629 | 0.3433% |
| 2020 | #36 | 5,251 | 0.3250% |
| 2019 | #34 | 5,458 | 0.3254% |
| 2018 | #31 | 5,752 | 0.3383% |
| 2017 | #33 | 5,861 | 0.3396% |
| 2016 | #24 | 6,608 | 0.3730% |
| 2015 | #25 | 6,679 | 0.3742% |
| 2014 | #27 | 6,785 | 0.3799% |
| 2013 | #27 | 7,002 | 0.3991% |
| 2012 | #16 | 7,969 | 0.4526% |
| 2011 | #15 | 8,192 | 0.4658% |
| 2010 | #17 | 7,992 | 0.4497% |
| 2009 | #18 | 8,101 | 0.4410% |
| 2008 | #24 | 8,127 | 0.4298% |
| 2007 | #27 | 7,499 | 0.3901% |
| 2006 | #33 | 6,768 | 0.3560% |
| 2005 | #39 | 6,089 | 0.3295% |
| 2004 | #53 | 5,402 | 0.2942% |
| 2003 | #69 | 4,434 | 0.2427% |
| 2002 | #79 | 3,834 | 0.2134% |
| 2001 | #103 | 3,197 | 0.1776% |
| 2000 | #124 | 2,733 | 0.1505% |
| 1999 | #152 | 2,123 | 0.1197% |
| 1998 | #169 | 1,752 | 0.0992% |
| 1997 | #220 | 1,355 | 0.0778% |
| 1996 | #261 | 1,091 | 0.0622% |
| 1995 | #320 | 853 | 0.0485% |
| 1994 | #391 | 648 | 0.0363% |
| 1993 | #450 | 557 | 0.0308% |
| 1992 | #473 | 523 | 0.0284% |
| 1991 | #501 | 473 | 0.0252% |
| 1990 | #584 | 396 | 0.0209% |
| 1989 | #546 | 416 | 0.0226% |
| 1988 | #546 | 401 | 0.0225% |
| 1987 | #623 | 309 | 0.0178% |
| 1986 | #634 | 292 | 0.0170% |
| 1985 | #711 | 243 | 0.0141% |
| 1984 | #732 | 224 | 0.0133% |
| 1983 | #778 | 206 | 0.0123% |
| 1982 | #784 | 208 | 0.0123% |
| 1981 | #742 | 223 | 0.0134% |
| 1980 | #836 | 187 | 0.0113% |
| 1979 | #965 | 150 | 0.0093% |
| 1978 | #1,151 | 111 | 0.0072% |
| 1977 | #1,164 | 107 | 0.0070% |
| 1976 | #956 | 134 | 0.0091% |
| 1975 | #1,002 | 122 | 0.0084% |
| 1974 | #1,091 | 107 | 0.0073% |
| 1973 | #1,108 | 102 | 0.0070% |
| 1972 | #902 | 139 | 0.0091% |
| 1971 | #1,016 | 122 | 0.0073% |
| 1970 | #1,002 | 125 | 0.0072% |
| 1969 | #1,005 | 116 | 0.0069% |
| 1968 | #1,063 | 99 | 0.0060% |
| 1967 | #1,062 | 96 | 0.0058% |
| 1966 | #963 | 112 | 0.0066% |
| 1965 | #1,081 | 94 | 0.0053% |
| 1964 | #906 | 133 | 0.0070% |
| 1963 | #955 | 123 | 0.0064% |
| 1962 | #975 | 120 | 0.0061% |
| 1961 | #956 | 128 | 0.0063% |
| 1960 | #948 | 127 | 0.0063% |
| 1959 | #931 | 127 | 0.0063% |
| 1958 | #835 | 149 | 0.0074% |
| 1957 | #833 | 149 | 0.0073% |
| 1956 | #785 | 159 | 0.0079% |
| 1955 | #740 | 165 | 0.0084% |
| 1954 | #781 | 144 | 0.0074% |
| 1953 | #806 | 130 | 0.0069% |
| 1952 | #778 | 133 | 0.0072% |
| 1951 | #758 | 135 | 0.0075% |
| 1950 | #741 | 135 | 0.0079% |
| 1949 | #749 | 131 | 0.0077% |
| 1948 | #713 | 139 | 0.0082% |
| 1947 | #729 | 138 | 0.0078% |
| 1946 | #737 | 122 | 0.0078% |
| 1945 | #606 | 142 | 0.0109% |
| 1944 | #593 | 154 | 0.0116% |
| 1943 | #596 | 160 | 0.0115% |
| 1942 | #562 | 173 | 0.0128% |
| 1941 | #547 | 166 | 0.0137% |
| 1940 | #509 | 186 | 0.0163% |
| 1939 | #518 | 168 | 0.0153% |
| 1938 | #475 | 195 | 0.0177% |
| 1937 | #492 | 178 | 0.0167% |
| 1936 | #449 | 202 | 0.0194% |
| 1935 | #447 | 210 | 0.0200% |
| 1934 | #442 | 216 | 0.0207% |
| 1933 | #412 | 242 | 0.0240% |
| 1932 | #420 | 245 | 0.0230% |
| 1931 | #399 | 268 | 0.0252% |
| 1930 | #389 | 305 | 0.0271% |
| 1929 | #387 | 302 | 0.0270% |
| 1928 | #370 | 345 | 0.0299% |
| 1927 | #355 | 366 | 0.0307% |
| 1926 | #362 | 344 | 0.0290% |
| 1925 | #360 | 362 | 0.0297% |
| 1924 | #332 | 409 | 0.0327% |
| 1923 | #317 | 418 | 0.0346% |
| 1922 | #317 | 418 | 0.0348% |
| 1921 | #326 | 407 | 0.0330% |
| 1920 | #331 | 386 | 0.0322% |
| 1919 | #332 | 368 | 0.0326% |
| 1918 | #326 | 388 | 0.0335% |
| 1917 | #347 | 330 | 0.0305% |
| 1916 | #312 | 373 | 0.0357% |
| 1915 | #321 | 343 | 0.0349% |
| 1914 | #331 | 252 | 0.0331% |
| 1913 | #330 | 212 | 0.0339% |
| 1912 | #291 | 245 | 0.0439% |
| 1911 | #351 | 130 | 0.0311% |
| 1910 | #310 | 154 | 0.0388% |
| 1909 | #344 | 109 | 0.0314% |
| 1908 | #357 | 102 | 0.0305% |
| 1907 | #342 | 104 | 0.0326% |
| 1906 | #378 | 82 | 0.0278% |
| 1905 | #287 | 134 | 0.0460% |
| 1904 | #317 | 105 | 0.0381% |
| 1903 | #319 | 95 | 0.0363% |
| 1902 | #316 | 99 | 0.0375% |
| 1901 | #319 | 89 | 0.0372% |
| 1900 | #292 | 126 | 0.0420% |
| 1899 | #267 | 115 | 0.0494% |
| 1898 | #326 | 92 | 0.0356% |
| 1897 | #269 | 113 | 0.0482% |
| 1896 | #292 | 100 | 0.0420% |
| 1895 | #280 | 101 | 0.0432% |
| 1894 | #265 | 108 | 0.0484% |
| 1893 | #296 | 83 | 0.0390% |
| 1892 | #268 | 98 | 0.0462% |
| 1891 | #294 | 73 | 0.0394% |
| 1890 | #255 | 96 | 0.0504% |
| 1889 | #257 | 84 | 0.0471% |
| 1888 | #229 | 102 | 0.0571% |
| 1887 | #275 | 59 | 0.0404% |
| 1886 | #239 | 75 | 0.0519% |
| 1885 | #201 | 88 | 0.0661% |
| 1884 | #252 | 60 | 0.0465% |
| 1883 | #231 | 62 | 0.0552% |
| 1882 | #215 | 63 | 0.0584% |
| 1881 | #231 | 46 | 0.0500% |
| 1880 | #241 | 41 | 0.0451% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #13,287 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #10,204 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #10,302 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #13,285 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #6,873 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #10,324 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #8,528 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #9,534 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #8,732 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #8,645 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #10,220 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #4,947 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #4,204 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #10,356 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #7,533 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1934 | #3,983 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #4,536 | 5 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore Name Lists Featuring Lily
Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.
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How the Name Lily Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Lily's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Lily's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.