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Girl name · Chinese

Lian

Name meaning, origin and popularity

: lotus (depends on characters)

Lian is a girl's name that comes from Chinese and means "lotus (depends on characters)". It is used in Chinese.

Meaning
Lotus (depends on characters)
Origin
Chinese
Gender
Girl
US rank
#3621 in 2025

Meaning and origin of Lian

As a girl's name, Lian comes from Chinese and means "lotus (depends on characters)". It is used in Chinese.

Lian is also a surname: the 4,201st most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 8,168 people. See the most common last names.

Its meaning puts Lian on our names that mean flower list.

Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names

How popular is Lian?

US rank in 2025
#3,621
42 babies, 26 per million girls
Best rank
#3,227 in 2017
50 babies that year
Babies since 1957
At least 1,126
Years with under 5 are not listed
1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
Babies per million US girls, by decade (the 2020s so far, to 2025). Highest in the 2020s, at 24 per million.
Babies named Lian per million US girls, by decade; highest in the 2020s
1880s0 per million
1890s0 per million
1900s0 per million
1910s0 per million
1920s0 per million
1930s0 per million
1940s0 per million
1950s1 per million
1960s1 per million
1970s1 per million
1980s5 per million
1990s8 per million
2000s12 per million
2010s22 per million
2020s24 per million
US rank by year
Year2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Rank#3,446#3,227#3,712#4,120#3,526#3,238#3,866#5,198#4,438#3,621

Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.

Names spelled like Lian

One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.

  • LiaItalian, Portuguese and Greek form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
  • LanOrchid (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • LiatYou are mine (Hebrew, girl)
  • LinForest; fine jade (depends on characters) (Chinese, unisex)
  • LisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
  • LilyLily flower (English, girl)
  • LeahProbably weary, grieved (Hebrew, girl)
  • LeiaForm of Leah; Princess Leia in Star Wars (Hebrew, girl)
  • LivProtection, shelter (Old Norse, girl)

Names with a similar meaning

  • AravindLotus (Sanskrit, boy)
  • ArvindLotus flower (Sanskrit, boy)
  • KamalaLotus flower (Sanskrit, girl)
  • KunalLotus (Sanskrit, boy)
  • LotusLotus flower (Greek, girl)
  • NaliniLotus (Sanskrit, girl)
  • NeerajWater-born, lotus (Sanskrit, boy)
  • NirajWater-born, lotus (Sanskrit, boy)
  • PadmaLotus flower (Sanskrit, girl)
  • PankajLotus, born of mud (Sanskrit, boy)
  • RajivBlue lotus, striped (Sanskrit, boy)
  • RenLotus; love (depends on characters) (Japanese, unisex)
  • ThamaraiLotus (Tamil, girl)

Middle names for Lian

Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.

  • AnastasiaResurrection, rising again (Greek, girl)
  • AngelinaMessenger (Greek, girl)
  • CosimaOrder, decency (Greek, girl)
  • ElizaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
  • EsmeraldaEmerald (Spanish, girl)
  • PrudenceForesight, good sense (Latin, girl)
  • ReeseArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, unisex)
  • UndineWave (Latin, girl)

More girl names from Chinese

  • BoWave, written 波 (Chinese, unisex)
  • ChenxiMorning sunlight, written 晨曦 (Chinese, unisex)
  • ChunSpringtime (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • FangFragrant (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • HaiSea, written 海 (Chinese, unisex)
  • HaiyanSea swallow, written 海燕 (Chinese, unisex)
  • HaiyangSea and ocean, written 海洋 (Chinese, unisex)
  • HuaFlower; magnificent (depends on characters) (Chinese, unisex)
  • HuiWise, intelligent (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • JiahuiFine and wise (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • JiangRiver, written 江 (Chinese, unisex)
  • JingQuiet, still; crystal (depends on characters) (Chinese, unisex)
  • LiBeautiful, lovely (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • LihuaBeautiful and splendid (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • LingTinkling of jade (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • MeiBeautiful; plum blossom (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • MeilingBeautiful tinkling jade (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
  • MinQuick, clever (depends on characters) (Chinese, unisex)

Lian: common questions

What does the name Lian mean?

Lian comes from Chinese and means "lotus (depends on characters)".

Is Lian a boy or girl name?

Lian is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 42 girls and 752 boys in the US were named Lian, according to Social Security Administration data.

Where does the name Lian come from?

Lian comes from Chinese and means "lotus (depends on characters)". Today it is used in Chinese.

How popular is the name Lian?

Lian ranked #3,621 in the US in 2025, with 42 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

What names are similar to Lian?

Names spelled like Lian include Lia, Lan, Liat, Lin and Lisa.

What middle names go with Lian?

Middle names that flow well with Lian include Anastasia, Angelina, Cosima, Eliza and Esmeralda. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.