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Lillian

Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.

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Meaning

Lily association; an earlier Elizabeth pet-form origin is also proposed.

The source records the accepted lily association and separately qualifies an Elizabeth pet-form explanation as possible. Symbolic purity, innocence and beauty are not presented as literal translations.

Origin

English name with a Latin lily association and a proposed Elizabeth-related history.

The dictionary dates use to the sixteenth century and presents two accounts rather than one settled earliest formation. Existing Lilian variant and Lilly/Lillie nicknames remain separate.

English pronunciation

LIL-E-ANN (one recorded English league guide)

One bearer’s approximate English reading in the club’s official guide. The written aid is retained as printed; the guide does not consistently mark stress. Other families or languages may use another reading.

Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.

Published name usage

Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.

Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
PlaceYearRecorded usagePublished birthsRankNotes
Canada2025Girls253 · preliminary1022025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France2011Girls5 (rounded to 5)6216Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
France2016Boys5 (rounded to 5)6381Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales2025Girls119361Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland2022Girls3418Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland2025Girls10324Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland2025Girls9413Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States2025Girls3,96657Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States2020Boys512022Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.

Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.

Sources & notes

Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.

Meaning: Lily association; an earlier Elizabeth pet-form origin is also proposed.

Checked against cited source

The source records the accepted lily association and separately qualifies an Elizabeth pet-form explanation as possible. Symbolic purity, innocence and beauty are not presented as literal translations. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Nickname: Lillie

Checked against cited source

The entry documents both a Lily variant and a Lillian pet form; these distinct formation traditions and statistical spellings remain separate.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Nickname: Lilly

Checked against cited source

English given-name relationship. These spellings remain separate in popularity statistics.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Origin: English name with a Latin lily association and a proposed Elizabeth-related history.

Checked against cited source

The dictionary dates use to the sixteenth century and presents two accounts rather than one settled earliest formation. Existing Lilian variant and Lilly/Lillie nicknames remain separate. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

English pronunciation: LIL-E-ANN (one recorded English league guide)

Checked against cited source

One bearer’s approximate English reading in the club’s official guide. The written aid is retained as printed; the guide does not consistently mark stress. Other families or languages may use another reading. Credit: Australian Professional Leagues, Ninja A-League Women 2025/26 Pronunciation Guide, Canberra, PDF page 6. Source: https://aleagues.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/10/Ninja-A-League-Women-Pronunciation-Guide-25.26.pdf#page=6. License: original brief factual summary; source rights retained. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names retained only the short factual name information and its scope in original English. No source prose, table, biography, image or audio republished; no open license claimed.

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Original brief factual summary; source rights retained

Related name: Elizabeth

Checked against cited source

Possible earlier pet-form history explicitly qualified by the source, not a confirmed route for every Lillian. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Related name: Lily

Checked against cited source

The source lists Lily as related and explains the lily association; no pronunciation or birth counts are transferred. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Supporting evidence: Lillian: association and proposed early formation

Checked against cited source

The Latin lily account and possible Elizabeth pet-form account are retained separately. No English IPA is supplied by this exact entry. Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Syllables: 3 (this recorded English guide)

Checked against cited source

The short first-name aid LIL-E-ANN represents 3 syllables in this reading. This count is not a rule for every bearer. Credit: Australian Professional Leagues, Ninja A-League Women 2025/26 Pronunciation Guide, Canberra, PDF page 6. Source: https://aleagues.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/10/Ninja-A-League-Women-Pronunciation-Guide-25.26.pdf#page=6. License: original brief factual summary; source rights retained. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names retained only the short factual name information and its scope in original English. No source prose, table, biography, image or audio republished; no open license claimed.

View original source

Original brief factual summary; source rights retained

Spelling variant: Lilian

Checked against cited source

English given-name relationship. These spellings remain separate in popularity statistics.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

country_CA

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country_FR

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country_IE

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Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

Attribution: Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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(C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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U.S. Social Security Administration

Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration

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Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

License: Statistics Canada Open Licence

Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

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Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

License: CC BY 4.0

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.

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Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.

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