Unisex · #3,377 in 2026

Ilian

Ilian is a masculine Bulgarian given name. Notable people with the name include:Ilian Aleksandrov, Bulgarian gymnast Ilian Dimitrov, Bulgarian boxer Ilian Djevelekov, Bulgarian film director and producer Ilian Evtimov, Bulgarian-French professional basketball player Ilian Gârnet, Moldovan violinist Ilian Iliev, Bulgarian football manager and former player Ilian Iliev (equestrian), Bulgarian…

  • Bulgarian
Current Rank
#3,377
Peak Rank
#3,321 (2024)
Total Babies
331
5-Yr Trend
+76%
👧 Girl peak #11,386 (45 total)
👦 Boy peak #3,321 (331 total)
👦As Boy Name
2001
First Year
2026
Last Year
2024
Peak Year
#3321
Peak Rank
331
Total Count
24
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1993
First Year
2019
Last Year
1999
Peak Year
#11386
Peak Rank
45
Total Count
8
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ilian

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Ilian is a masculine Bulgarian given name. Notable people with the name include:Ilian Aleksandrov, Bulgarian gymnast Ilian Dimitrov, Bulgarian boxer Ilian Djevelekov, Bulgarian film director and producer Ilian Evtimov, Bulgarian-French professional basketball player Ilian Gârnet, Moldovan violinist Ilian Iliev, Bulgarian football manager and former player Ilian Iliev (equestrian), Bulgarian…

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Bulgarian

The Story of Ilian

As a girl name

The earliest SSA record of Ilian as a girl name dates back to 1993, when 5 babies received it. 1999 was its biggest year on record, with 7 newborns named Ilian — #11,386 in the national rankings. About 53% of every Ilian on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Ilian last appeared in the published SSA data in 2019, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 45 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

American parents first put Ilian on the record books as a boy name in 2001, with 8 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2024, when 35 Ilians were born — ranking #3,321 that year. About 53% of every Ilian on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ilian ranks #3,377 for boys with 35 births, rising sharply (+76% over the past five years). All told, over 331 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Ilian

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ilian. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Ilian

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ilian is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ilian

What does the name Ilian mean?
Ilian is a masculine Bulgarian given name. Notable people with the name include:Ilian Aleksandrov, Bulgarian gymnast Ilian Dimitrov, Bulgarian boxer Ilian Djevelekov, Bulgarian film director and producer Ilian Evtimov, Bulgarian-French professional basketball player Ilian Gârnet, Moldovan violinist Ilian Iliev, Bulgarian football manager and former player Ilian Iliev (equestrian), Bulgarian…
What is the origin of the name Ilian?
Ilian has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Bulgarian.
How popular is Ilian in 2026?
In 2026, Ilian ranks #3,377 among boys' names in the U.S., with 35 babies given the name that year.
When was Ilian most popular?
Ilian reached its peak popularity in 2024, ranking #3,321 that year with 35 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Ilian most popular?
Ilian has historically been most popular in Illinois, California, Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ilian.
Is Ilian a unisex name?
Yes — Ilian is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 12% of Ilians assigned female and 88% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Ilian?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ilian include Arvind, Jamen, Zakee. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Ilian?
Common variants and related forms of Ilian include Ilia, Ilija, Iliya, Iliyan. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Ilian

Ilian is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2001 and has accumulated 331 births in the dataset. Ilian's peak popularity came in 2024 when it ranked #3,321. Use the chart and map above to compare Ilian's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.