Girl name · English
Lily
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: lily flowerLily is a girl's name that comes from English and means "lily flower". It is used in English, Irish and Scottish.
- Meaning
- Lily flower
- Origin
- English
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #18 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Lily
As a girl's name, Lily comes from English and means "lily flower". It is used in English, Irish and Scottish.
Its meaning puts Lily on our names that mean flower list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Lily on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Lily on 7 lists.
“A flower name for a pale, graceful girl cat”
From Cat names, popular cat names
“English word name for the white bloom, a symbol of purity”
From Flower names for girls, girl flower names from the garden
“Named after the pond flower frogs rest beside”
From Funny frog names, cute frog names
“The flower, a symbol of purity. No. 18 in U.S. News 2026”
From Female cat names, most popular girl cat names
“A pure white flower for a pure-hearted pup”
From Girl dog names, popular girl dog names
“Flower, symbol of purity; English. Pure and pretty”
From Girl middle names, flower and nature middle names
“White flower of purity; Latin. A Victorian flower name, back in the top 20”
From Vintage girl names, vintage flower, plant and gemstone names
How popular is Lily?
- US rank in 2025
- #18
- 6,673 babies, 4,152 per million girls
- Best rank
- #15 in 2011
- 8,192 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 189,644
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 518 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 441 per million |
| 1900s | 357 per million |
| 1910s | 343 per million |
| 1920s | 314 per million |
| 1930s | 209 per million |
| 1940s | 104 per million |
| 1950s | 74 per million |
| 1960s | 63 per million |
| 1970s | 79 per million |
| 1980s | 158 per million |
| 1990s | 543 per million |
| 2000s | 3,041 per million |
| 2010s | 3,903 per million |
| 2020s | 3,687 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #24 | #33 | #31 | #34 | #35 | #31 | #30 | #20 | #24 | #18 |
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.
Nicknames for Lily
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Lilliantraditional short form (English)
Other forms of Lily
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- LileLily flower (English, girl)
- LillyVariant of Lily, the flower (English, girl)
Names spelled like Lily
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LilaVariant of Leila, night, or short form of Delilah (Arabic, girl)
- LiloGod is my oath and free man (Hebrew and Germanic, girl)
- LisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- LiaItalian, Portuguese and Greek form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- LeilaNight, from Arabic layl (Arabic, girl)
- LucyLight, brightness (Latin, girl)
- LivProtection, shelter (Old Norse, girl)
- LaleTulip (Persian, girl)
- LianLotus (depends on characters) (Chinese, 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)
- NarcisoNarcissus flower (Greek, boy)
- SusannaLily (Hebrew, girl)
- SusanneLily (Hebrew, girl)
- AntheaFlower, blossom (Greek, girl)
- FleurA flower (Latin, girl)
- FlorFlower (Latin, girl)
- HanaFlower in Japanese; one in Korean (Japanese and Korean, girl)
Middle names for Lily
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
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)
Lily: common questions
What does the name Lily mean?
Lily comes from English and means "lily flower". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Lily a boy or girl name?
Lily is mainly a girl's name.
What are nicknames for Lily?
Common nicknames for Lily include Lillian.
How popular is the name Lily?
Lily ranked #18 in the US in 2025, with 6,673 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Lily?
Forms of Lily with the same meaning and origin include Lile (Irish) and Lilly (English).
What middle names go with Lily?
Middle names that flow well with Lily include Abigail, Agnes, Aurelia, Evangeline and Fenella. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.