Girl name · English
Lilly
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: variant of Lily, the flowerLilly is a girl's name that is of English origin: variant of Lily, the flower. It is used in English and Scandinavian.
- Meaning
- Variant of Lily, the flower
- Origin
- English
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #252 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Lilly
As a girl's name, Lilly is of English origin: variant of Lily, the flower. It is used in English and Scandinavian.
Lilly is also a surname: the 1,670th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 21,065 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Lilly on our names that mean flower list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
How popular is Lilly?
- US rank in 2025
- #252
- 1,218 babies, 758 per million girls
- Best rank
- #103 in 2011
- Most babies: 2,891 in 2010
- Babies since 1880
- At least 66,728
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 595 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 498 per million |
| 1900s | 449 per million |
| 1910s | 290 per million |
| 1920s | 248 per million |
| 1930s | 191 per million |
| 1940s | 110 per million |
| 1950s | 74 per million |
| 1960s | 62 per million |
| 1970s | 41 per million |
| 1980s | 42 per million |
| 1990s | 126 per million |
| 2000s | 935 per million |
| 2010s | 1,344 per million |
| 2020s | 781 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #143 | #152 | #160 | #190 | #229 | #218 | #230 | #257 | #261 | #252 |
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.
Other forms of Lilly
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- LileLily flower (English, girl)
- LilyLily flower (English, girl)
Names spelled like Lilly
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LibbyGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- LielMy God (Hebrew, unisex)
- LilaVariant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah (Arabic, girl)
- LilacLilac flower (Persian, girl)
- LilahVariant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah (Arabic, girl)
- LiliaLily (Hawaiian, girl)
- LiliyaLily (Latin, girl)
- LiljaLily (Latin, girl)
- LiloGod is my oath and free man (Hebrew and Germanic, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- FloraFlower, blossom (Latin, girl)
- LilianaLatinate form of Lillian, probably from Elizabeth or Lily (English, girl)
- RosaRose flower (Latin, girl)
- AliyahVariant of Aaliyah, high, lofty, sublime (Arabic, girl)
- CelineVariant of Céline, from Caelinus, from Caelius or caelum, heaven (Latin, girl)
- ElianVariant of names beginning with Eli, such as Elijah (Hebrew, boy)
- NarcisoNarcissus flower (Greek, boy)
- SusannaLily (Hebrew, girl)
- SusanneLily (Hebrew, girl)
- AilanyVariant of Ailani, possibly Hawaiian, to rule as chief (Hawaiian, girl)
- AmayaVariant of Amaia, Basque for the end (Basque, girl)
- AntheaFlower, blossom (Greek, girl)
- ArlethVariant of Arlette, from Herleva, possibly army and legacy (Germanic, girl)
- AvaVariant of Eve, life; in Persian, voice (Hebrew, girl)
- AydenVariant of Aidan, little fire (Irish Gaelic, boy)
Middle names for Lilly
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- AliceNobility, of noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- AmberAmber, golden fossil resin (Arabic, girl)
- CharityGenerous love (Latin, girl)
- FelicityHappiness, good fortune (Latin, girl)
- FrancesFrenchwoman, from France (Latin, girl)
- NaomiPleasantness, sweetness (Hebrew, girl)
- PoppyPoppy flower (Old English, girl)
- SerenaSerene, calm (Latin, girl)
More girl names from English
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
- AinsleyFrom a place named for a solitary or hermitage clearing (English, unisex)
- CataleyaFrom cattleya, an orchid named for William Cattley (English, girl)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- HeatherHeather plant (English, girl)
- AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
- AddisonSon of Adam (English, girl)
- AloraVariant of Elora, probably invented; used in the film Willow (English, girl)
- AmoraApparently a modern coinage based on Latin amor, love (English, girl)
- AutumnFall season (English, girl)
- BayA sheltered curve of coast (English, unisex)
- BriarThorny wild shrub (English, girl)
- BrynleeVariant of Brinley, a blend of Bryn and lee (English, girl)
- CallaCalla lily (English, girl)
- DarleneDarling (English, girl)
- DawnDaybreak (English, girl)
- DeiseDay's eye, the daisy (English, girl)
- EbonyBlack wood (English, girl)
Lilly: common questions
What does the name Lilly mean?
Lilly is of English origin: variant of Lily, the flower. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Lilly a boy or girl name?
Lilly is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Lilly come from?
Lilly is of English origin: variant of Lily, the flower. Today it is used in English and Scandinavian.
How popular is the name Lilly?
Lilly ranked #252 in the US in 2025, with 1,218 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Lilly?
Forms of Lilly with the same meaning and origin include Lile (Irish) and Lily (English).
What middle names go with Lilly?
Middle names that flow well with Lilly include Alice, Amber, Charity, Felicity and Frances. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.