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Lillian as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Lillian

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The baby name Lillian is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈlɪliən/ (LIL-ee-ən); also often pronounced /ˈlɪljən/ (LIL-yən).

Lillian is English in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 3.0
Origin: English
Pronunciation: /ˈlɪliən/ (LIL-ee-ən); also often pronounced /ˈlɪljən/ (LIL-yən)

What is the meaning of the name Lillian ?

The baby name Lillian is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈlɪliən/ (LIL-ee-ən); also often pronounced /ˈlɪljən/ (LIL-yən).

Lillian is English in Origin.

Lillian traces to English as an elegant elaboration of Lily, itself taken from Latin lilium via Old French and Middle English; the lily has long symbolized purity, innocence, and renewal. The name also overlapped in earlier usage with pet forms of Elizabeth (Hebrew Elisheva, "my God is an oath"), giving it a secondary sense of consecration.

In Britain and America, Lillian flourished in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, boosted by flower-name fashion and figures such as silent-film icon Lillian Gish and playwright Lillian Hellman. After waning mid-century, it revived from the 1990s into the 2010s. Variants include Lilian, Liliane, Liliana/Lilliana, Lilianna, and spellings Lillie or Lilly; related forms are Lily, Lilia, and Lila. Common nicknames are Lily, Lil, and Lia.

Lillian has the following similar or variant Names

Lillian – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 2025 #1 — 874
FJ 0 #6 1 374
FJ Girls 0 #9 1 583
BW 0 #17 3 960
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
PR 0 #47 9 1,497
MO 0 #51 2 2,706
United States Girls 2024 #54 3,882 8,487
CM 0 #56 1 2,592
BW Girls 0 #63 95 4,216
CN 0 #73 13 3,857
PR Girls 0 #74 99 3,171
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
TW 0 #78 23 4,523
Canada Girls 2024 #91 253 2,795
JM 0 #92 2 3,714
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
PH 0 #110 1 5,607
BN Girls 0 #113 2 5,459
Norway Girls 2025 #114 13 453
Switzerland Girls 2024 #131 5 1,786
PA 0 #136 3 3,797
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
MT Girls 0 #140 12 3,773
EE Girls 0 #142 1 1,888
DK Girls 0 #144 212 7,429
BW Boys 0 #153 2 4,685
TW Girls 0 #161 123 8,139
CR 0 #163 3 5,526
Sweden Girls 2022 #165 15 1,568
MT Boys 0 #179 1 4,064
DK 0 #180 24 5,198
UY 0 #181 2 2,477
AE 0 #183 5 10,220
RU 0 #192 3 3,641
NA Girls 0 #208 17 7,146
CN Girls 0 #218 146 8,829
PS 0 #225 2 5,692
MO Girls 0 #227 25 7,056
BG Girls 0 #230 2 3,559
JM Girls 0 #241 19 7,507
GH 0 #243 6 5,396
GR Girls 0 #244 6 6,293
JP Girls 0 #246 6 6,592
SG 0 #247 23 11,010
PT 0 #249 2 4,161
NG 0 #253 12 5,926
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
GH Girls 0 #283 42 6,973
HK 0 #292 57 8,483
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
QA Girls 0 #305 12 15,378
MY 0 #311 20 12,352
SA 0 #312 1 10,560
JO Girls 0 #314 12 7,570
PE 0 #326 4 6,350
CN Boys 0 #329 3 9,639
BR 0 #330 16 5,969
ZA Girls 0 #330 1,830 25,928
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
CZ Girls 0 #350 2 5,378
HK Girls 0 #351 304 16,104
SD Girls 0 #351 8 7,678
GH Boys 0 #361 1 8,138
OM Girls 0 #361 36 15,987
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
PH Girls 0 #366 25 13,098
MU Boys 0 #369 1 8,477
NL 0 #378 14 2,481
ZA 0 #388 60 14,421
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
CR Girls 0 #397 137 11,342
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
MX 0 #403 11 8,339
France Boys 2016 #406 3 2,872
BD Girls 0 #406 1 8,413
EG 0 #408 5 6,387
France Girls 2011 #416 3 3,153
NG Girls 0 #420 469 15,093
CL 0 #431 4 6,867
PT Girls 0 #437 15 7,952
PA Girls 0 #455 27 9,861
SG Girls 0 #461 126 18,916
UY Girls 0 #480 31 6,731
RU Girls 0 #485 14 11,913
IQ Girls 0 #488 17 11,303
GT Girls 0 #492 14 7,500
KW Girls 0 #500 16 19,177
CO 0 #503 8 7,768
PS Girls 0 #508 16 10,981
AE Girls 0 #522 32 20,968
CM Girls 0 #527 14 11,671
IR Girls 0 #543 3 8,334
BH 0 #544 10 17,937
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
LY 0 #559 1 12,703
PS Boys 0 #560 2 10,655
AR Girls 0 #590 10 8,289
IL Girls 0 #597 21 11,648
IL Boys 0 #624 2 10,983
BO Girls 0 #645 7 9,488
IN Girls 0 #653 2 13,121
Finland Girls 2026 #656 83 3,895
LB 0 #683 8 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
SY 0 #708 21 11,684
SG Boys 0 #739 1 17,960
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
CL Girls 0 #788 64 14,098
NL Girls 0 #792 164 5,933
Germany Girls 0 #802 37 4,949
BR Girls 0 #806 136 12,708
MY Girls 0 #819 176 24,821
TN 0 #861 5 13,765
PE Girls 0 #866 78 14,861
SA Girls 0 #880 56 25,931
United States Boys 2020 #894 5 7,187
EG Girls 0 #896 64 14,742
OM Boys 0 #918 1 17,948
EG Boys 0 #923 3 15,035
NG Boys 0 #941 11 16,906
Spain Girls 0 #960 24 5,561
MX Boys 0 #1,033 1 16,355
CO Girls 0 #1,048 31 16,140
MX Girls 0 #1,069 115 17,781
ZA Boys 0 #1,139 40 25,619
AE Boys 0 #1,143 1 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,180 3 25,439
MA 0 #1,199 1 20,986
DZ 0 #1,229 6 20,130
TR 0 #1,249 6 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,365 82 9,415
SA Boys 0 #1,688 4 28,008

Lillian is popular in 76 countries — most recent births per country:

Norway
Ireland
Scotland, United Kingdom
Canada
France

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People also ask about Lillian

Lillian is predominantly a girl's name.
Lillian is a 3 syllable name, pronounced /ˈlɪliən/ (LIL-ee-ən); also often pronounced /ˈlɪljən/ (LIL-yən).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Lilly, Lillie, Lilli, Lilian, Liliane and Lilliana.
Across languages, Lillian has these equivalents: Lily (English), Liliana (Spanish/Italian/Portuguese/Polish), Liliane (French), Lilia (Latin/Slavic), Liliya / Liliia (Russian/Ukrainian), and 2 more.
Yes, very popular — Lillian ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Lillian ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Lillian's popularity is holding steady. It moved from #1 in 2015 to #1 in 2025 in Ireland.