Lily
Meaninglily flower · English
- US rank
- #18
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #15 in 2011
6,673 babies were named Lily in the US in 2025. It has climbed 17 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Lily you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Lily
Lily Allen
British singer and actress
Choose Lily and your child shares a first name with Lily Allen, a British singer and actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Lily, like who?” Lily Allen's Wikipedia article is available in 75 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Lily Allen on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 241 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Lily, 6,673 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Lily.
- HistoryLily has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Lilys, and counting.
- Best yearIts best year was 2011, when it reached #15.
- Then vs nowLily is 2.8× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 664 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 241.
- Where it's lovedLily is most popular in Utah, where it ranks #10, followed by Connecticut (#11) and Hawaii (#11). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn English, Lily means “lily flower”. Our records link it to English and Latin roots.
- OriginLily is the #7 most popular English girl name in the US. That's out of 6,029 English girl and unisex names in our list.
About the name Lily
Lily is a girl name of English and Latin origin meaning “lily flower”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-ily”. US birth records list Lily for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked #15 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #18, with 6,673 babies.
Origin:English namesLatin names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 518 | 1,931 girls |
| 1890s | 442 | 2,264 girls |
| 1900s | 359 | 2,783 girls |
| 1910s | 348 | 2,873 girls |
| 1920s | 314 | 3,186 girls |
| 1930s | 209 | 4,783 girls |
| 1940s | 108 | 9,247 girls |
| 1950s | 74 | 13,473 girls |
| 1960s | 63 | 15,924 girls |
| 1970s | 79 | 12,652 girls |
| 1980s | 156 | 6,391 girls |
| 1990s | 549 | 1,821 girls |
| 2000s | 3,025 | 331 girls |
| 2010s | 3,898 | 257 girls |
| 2020s | 3,688 | 271 girls |
Other spellings of Lily
More English girl names
- Girl name: Olivia · olive tree
- Girl name: Charlotte · free
- Unisex name: Harper · harp player
- Girl name: Elizabeth · God is my oath
- Girl name: Lucy · light
- Girl name: Lainey · possibly light
- Girl name: Scarlett · scarlet red
- Unisex name: Avery · elf counsel
Questions about the name Lily
What does the name Lily mean?
Lily means “lily flower” in English.
What is the origin of the name Lily?
Lily has English, Latin roots in our records. Other English names include Olivia, Charlotte, Harper.
Is Lily a boy or girl name?
Lily is a girl name.
How popular is the name Lily?
Lily ranked #18 for US girls in 2025, given to 6,673 babies. Its best year was 2011 (#15).