Lilian

Did you know?

A few things about Lilian you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Lilian

Lilian Harvey

Anglo-German actress and singer

Choose Lilian and your child shares a first name with Lilian Harvey, an Anglo-German actress and singer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Lilian, like who?” Lilian Harvey's Wikipedia article is available in 26 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Lilian Harvey on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: CINEGRAF magazine, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,993 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Lilian, 537 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Lilian would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLilian has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Lilians, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1882, when it reached #360.
• 🚀TrendLilian has climbed 96 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #560. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedLilian is most popular in Hawaii, where it ranks #168, followed by New Hampshire (#236) and Nebraska (#335). It's in the top 1,000 in 30 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Lilian means “lily”. Our records link it to American, English and Latin roots.

About the name Lilian

Lilian is a girl name of American, English and Latin origin meaning “lily”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-ian”. US birth records list Lilian for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1882, when it ranked #360 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #560, with 537 babies.

Origin:American namesEnglish namesLatin names