Lorilei as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Lorilei

What is the meaning of the name Lorilei ?

The baby name Lorilei is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced LOH-ri-lay (IPA: /ˌlɔːrɪˈleɪ/).

Lorilei is English in Origin.

Lorilei is a modern respelling of Lorelei, the German place-name turned given name. The name refers to the Lorelei/Loreley, a steep slate cliff on the Rhine. Its elements are often parsed as Rhine-dialect lei “rock, slate cliff” and a root akin to Middle High German lüren “to lurk, lure,” yielding the poetic sense “luring rock.” In folklore and literature, a siren-like maiden’s song at the Lorelei bewitched sailors. The legend entered European consciousness through Clemens Brentano (1801) and Heinrich Heine’s celebrated poem (1824/27).

As a given name, it circulated in German and then English since the late 19th century, rising in the U.S. mid‑20th century via Anita Loos’s character Lorelei Lee and later television’s Lorelai Gilmore (spelling variant). Variant forms include Lorelei, Loreley, Lorelai, Loralie, Loralei, and Lorilee; short forms Lori, Rory, Lora, and Lei. Lorilei suggests enchantment, riverine romance, and melodious allure.