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Lilian as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Lilian

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The baby name Lilian is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈlɪliən/ (LIL-ee-ən).

Lilian is English in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: English
Pronunciation: /ˈlɪliən/ (LIL-ee-ən)

What is the meaning of the name Lilian ?

The baby name Lilian is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈlɪliən/ (LIL-ee-ən).

Lilian is English in Origin.

Lilian is an English and French given name ultimately related to the Latin lilium, “lily.” In English it appears as a streamlined variant of Lillian, which itself arose from medieval pet-forms of Elizabeth (Lill/Lily) later reinforced by the fashionable flower name; in French, Lilian also functions as a masculine form corresponding to feminine Liliane. The core meaning evokes the lily’s symbolism of purity and renewal.

The name saw steady use in Britain from the late 19th century, rising with other floral names of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and it remains familiar in the wider Anglophone world through the present revival of vintage choices. In France, Lilian became established for men in the 20th century, helped by figures such as footballer Lilian Thuram. Variants and related forms include Lillian, Liliane, Liliana, Lilia, Lilián, and diminutives Lily, Lili, and Lilly.

Lilian has the following similar or variant Names

Lilian – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2023 #1 — 897
Germany Girls 2025 #1 — 411
FJ 0 #6 1 374
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
SV Girls 0 #15 4 458
BW 0 #19 1 960
HN 0 #19 4 704
HN Girls 0 #19 18 884
MV 0 #19 1 644
EE 0 #33 5 1,051
NA 0 #33 1 2,537
MD 0 #34 1 434
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
ID 0 #38 2 2,238
MD Boys 0 #40 58 756
MT 0 #42 2 1,767
MO 0 #43 10 2,706
CM 0 #49 8 2,592
NG Girls 0 #50 5,451 15,093
HN Boys 0 #51 2 749
GT Girls 0 #56 1,354 7,500
CY 0 #58 3 1,632
UY Girls 0 #62 2,271 6,731
JP 0 #69 9 4,057
MT Girls 0 #74 81 3,773
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
CN 0 #80 7 3,857
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
TW 0 #82 19 4,523
BW Girls 0 #83 69 4,216
BN Girls 0 #93 14 5,459
ID Girls 0 #100 3 3,319
QA 0 #101 6 7,011
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
PH 0 #104 7 5,607
SG Girls 0 #104 1,015 18,916
GE Girls 0 #108 1 1,564
OM 0 #113 9 6,215
HU 0 #114 2 1,675
EC 0 #117 5 2,502
Norway Girls 2024 #118 4 444
KW 0 #118 4 5,216
CY Girls 0 #121 5 3,755
Switzerland Girls 2024 #125 11 1,786
EE Girls 0 #126 13 1,888
GT 0 #127 224 5,948
NG 0 #127 143 5,926
GR 0 #128 8 3,911
PA 0 #130 9 3,797
IQ 0 #131 3 3,533
BO Girls 0 #132 1,344 9,488
Switzerland Boys 2024 #134 4 1,769
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
RS Girls 0 #137 1 1,651
CL Girls 0 #139 3,276 14,098
JO 0 #139 2 2,158
Sweden Girls 2022 #142 38 1,568
BR Girls 0 #144 3,606 12,708
UY 0 #144 34 2,477
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
BR 0 #159 219 5,969
CR 0 #163 3 5,526
PR Girls 0 #163 5 3,171
EC Girls 0 #164 78 3,650
AE 0 #167 11 10,220
SG 0 #169 104 11,010
AR 0 #172 15 2,915
GH Girls 0 #172 193 6,973
LU Girls 0 #176 10 4,850
JP Girls 0 #179 67 6,592
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
DK Girls 0 #184 151 7,429
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
TW Girls 0 #187 93 8,139
DK 0 #188 16 5,198
MO Girls 0 #190 62 7,056
Belgium Boys 2015 #193 26 406
RU 0 #193 2 3,641
NA Girls 0 #195 30 7,146
HU Girls 0 #202 22 3,308
NL Girls 0 #202 1,980 5,933
GR Girls 0 #207 36 6,293
AO Girls 0 #209 9 4,575
CL 0 #210 249 6,867
GH 0 #210 34 5,396
LU Boys 0 #216 5 4,970
BG Boys 0 #218 3 3,850
CN Girls 0 #221 140 8,829
PS 0 #221 6 5,692
AR Girls 0 #225 723 8,289
Canada Girls 2024 #227 59 2,795
BG Girls 0 #227 5 3,559
IR 0 #229 3 4,221
HK Girls 0 #231 604 16,104
BO 0 #235 154 6,868
MY 0 #235 100 12,352
Finland Girls 2026 #241 1,489 3,895
PT 0 #243 8 4,161
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
HK 0 #246 105 8,483
France Boys 2021 #248 150 2,865
JM Girls 0 #248 12 7,507
NL 0 #248 149 2,481
JO Girls 0 #249 79 7,570
PE 0 #252 59 6,350
TW Boys 0 #255 2 7,111
QA Girls 0 #257 60 15,378
IL 0 #261 14 6,291
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
PH Girls 0 #277 115 13,098
SA 0 #282 14 10,560
HR Girls 0 #292 3 3,687
Finland 0 #297 11 830
CZ Boys 0 #299 7 6,530
PE Girls 0 #303 1,421 14,861
Canada Boys 2023 #305 5 2,601
CM Girls 0 #306 257 11,671
MY Girls 0 #306 1,171 24,821
OM Girls 0 #306 91 15,987
MX 0 #309 105 8,339
PA Girls 0 #311 176 9,861
SD Girls 0 #311 35 7,678
Finland Girls 0 #312 81 1,368
EG 0 #321 81 6,387
CZ Girls 0 #326 16 5,378
CO Girls 0 #327 1,844 16,140
KZ Girls 0 #329 4 5,862
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
DK Boys 0 #330 3 7,401
SY 0 #330 583 11,684
PL Boys 0 #339 2 6,459
CO 0 #352 132 7,768
PT Girls 0 #353 101 7,952
MU Girls 0 #356 7 8,539
GH Boys 0 #357 5 8,138
PL Girls 0 #360 5 5,096
MU Boys 0 #363 7 8,477
YE 0 #369 13 8,639
PT Boys 0 #373 9 7,951
UY Boys 0 #380 20 5,922
IQ Girls 0 #389 116 11,303
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
Austria Girls 0 #391 30 1,885
IL Girls 0 #391 249 11,648
ZA 0 #391 57 14,421
AE Girls 0 #393 161 20,968
PS Girls 0 #397 130 10,981
KW Girls 0 #402 114 19,177
France Girls 2021 #403 3 3,185
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
CR Girls 0 #404 130 11,342
ZA Girls 0 #406 1,376 25,928
Germany 0 #413 25 2,542
Spain 0 #414 39 2,326
LB 0 #421 259 13,263
MX Girls 0 #424 1,567 17,781
Spain Girls 0 #446 766 5,561
United States Girls 2024 #450 542 8,487
GT Boys 0 #454 21 7,625
SD Boys 0 #466 1 10,523
RU Boys 0 #470 36 12,621
RU Girls 0 #474 25 11,913
AR Boys 0 #477 7 7,628
EG Girls 0 #496 595 14,742
PA Boys 0 #504 2 9,305
BH 0 #508 46 17,937
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
IR Girls 0 #509 22 8,334
PS Boys 0 #514 35 10,655
CM Boys 0 #517 34 12,054
LY 0 #518 18 12,703
IR Boys 0 #541 12 10,162
HK Boys 0 #554 4 12,905
BO Boys 0 #576 17 9,244
IL Boys 0 #579 29 10,983
SA Girls 0 #610 337 25,931
CL Boys 0 #650 16 13,390
IN Girls 0 #652 3 13,121
IT 0 #664 51 4,183
Germany Girls 0 #670 170 4,949
IQ Boys 0 #689 9 13,071
BR Boys 0 #711 41 12,213
SG Boys 0 #734 6 17,960
QA Boys 0 #743 1 18,093
TN 0 #807 23 13,765
PE Boys 0 #865 14 14,506
IT Girls 0 #866 671 9,415
NG Boys 0 #885 67 16,906
Spain Boys 0 #888 43 5,610
CO Boys 0 #899 22 15,656
OM Boys 0 #913 6 17,948
EG Boys 0 #918 8 15,035
Germany Boys 0 #942 11 5,697
MX Boys 0 #962 21 16,355
DZ 0 #1,033 144 20,130
MA 0 #1,049 80 20,986
MY Boys 0 #1,100 12 25,439
IT Boys 0 #1,132 342 10,046
AE Boys 0 #1,138 6 22,615
ZA Boys 0 #1,138 41 25,619
TR 0 #1,179 33 19,440
SA Boys 0 #1,597 18 28,008

Lilian is popular in 89 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Ireland
Canada
Norway
Scotland, United Kingdom

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Lilian

Lilian is predominantly a girl's name.
Lilian is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /ˈlɪliən/ (LIL-ee-ən).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Lillian, Liliane, Liliana, Lilliana, Liliann and Lillyan.
Yes, very popular — Lilian ranked #1 in Ireland in 2023, and appears in official birth registries across 11 countries.
Lilian ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2023).
Lilian's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2013 to #1 in 2023 in Ireland.