ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 2007 Peak Year #360 Peak Rank 21K Total Count 147 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Lilian What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Lillian, also spelled Lilian, Lilliann, or Lilliane, is a female given name. Its origin is the Latin word Lilium (lily). Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English * French * Romanian * Portuguese 📖 ## The Story of Lilian The earliest SSA record of Lilian as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 19 babies received it. 2007 was its biggest year on record, with 786 newborns named Lilian — #416 in the national rankings. About 28% of every Lilian on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Lilian ranks #532 for baby girls with 577 births, gradually rising (+14%). All told, over 21K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## 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 Lilian Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Lilian. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Bess](/bess) * [Bessie](/bessie) * [Beth](/beth) * [Betsy](/betsy) * [Bette](/bette) * [Bettie](/bettie) * [Betty](/betty) * [Buffy](/buffy) * [Elisabeth](/elisabeth) * [Eliza](/eliza) * [Elizabeth](/elizabeth) * [Ella](/ella) * [Elle](/elle) * [Ellie](/ellie) * [Elly](/elly) * [Elsabeth](/elsabeth) * [Elsie](/elsie) * [Elyse](/elyse) * [Elyzabeth](/elyzabeth) * [Isabel](/isabel) * [Isabella](/isabella) * [Isabelle](/isabelle) * [Isbel](/isbel) * [Isebella](/isebella) * [Izabelle](/izabelle) * [Libbie](/libbie) * [Libby](/libby) * [Liddy](/liddy) * [Lilibet](/lilibet) * [Lilibeth](/lilibeth) * [Lillia](/lillia) * [Lillian](/lillian) * [Lillie](/lillie) * [Lilly](/lilly) * [Lily](/lily) * [Lisa](/lisa) * [Lise](/lise) * [Liz](/liz) * [Liza](/liza) * [Lizbeth](/lizbeth) * [Lizette](/lizette) * [Lizzie](/lizzie) * [Lizzy](/lizzy) * Tetty ⭐ ## Notable people named Lilian A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Princess Lilian of Belgium (1916–2002), wife of King Leopold III of Belgium * ●Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland (1915–2013), wife of Prince Bertil , Duke of Halland of Sweden * ●Lillian Aber , Ugandan politician * ●Lillian Albertson (1881–1962), American actress and theatrical producer * ●Lillian B. Allen (1904–1994), Canadian painter * ●Lillian Allen (born 1951), Canadian dub poet, musician, and writer * ●Lillian Alling (1896–after 1929), American woman who attempted to return to Eastern Europe on foot * ●Lillian Bassman (1917–2012), American photographer and painter Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Lilian Phonetically similar names — useful when Lilian is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Lillian](/lillian) * [Liliane](/liliane) * [Lilien](/lilien) * [Lilium](/lilium) * [Lillia](/lillia) * Lolium * Chilean * Chilian * Chilien * Lilin * [Liliana](/liliana) * [Lilia](/lilia) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Lilian What does the name Lilian mean? Lillian, also spelled Lilian, Lilliann, or Lilliane, is a female given name. Its origin is the Latin word Lilium (lily). What is the origin of the name Lilian? Lilian has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, French, Romanian, Portuguese. How popular is Lilian in 2026? In 2026, Lilian ranks #532 among girls' names in the U.S., with 577 babies given the name that year. When was Lilian most popular? Lilian reached its peak popularity in 2007, ranking #360 that year with 786 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Lilian most popular? Lilian has historically been most popular in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Lilian. Is Lilian a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Lilian is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Lilian? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Lilian include Clementine, Rilla, Rhea. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Lilian? Common variants and related forms of Lilian include Bess, Bessie, Beth, Betsy, Bette, Bettie. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧ClementinePeak #360](/clementine)[👧RillaPeak #360](/rilla)[👧RheaPeak #360](/rhea)[👧MaryamPeak #360](/maryam)[👧ChantelPeak #360](/chantel)[👧HaileePeak #360](/hailee)[👧MadysonPeak #360](/madyson)[👧GayPeak #362](/gay) ## About the name Lilian Lilian is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 21K births in the dataset. Lilian's peak popularity came in 2007 when it ranked #360\. Use the chart and map above to compare Lilian's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2007 → ](/year/2007) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "L" → ](/letter/l) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.