Lillian
Girl name · #57 in 2025 · Well-known
How old is the name Lillian? In official American birth records, Lillian has been tracked continuously since 1880, giving it 145 years of documented American history.
Lillian ranks #57 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 3,966 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #26, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 454 girls born in 2025 was named Lillian.
Babies named Lillian per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 145-year story
Lillian first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 672 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1920, when 10,049 girls were named Lillian — good for #18 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Lillian against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Lillian in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Lillian is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Lillian is most common
Geography matters for names, and Lillian is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Lillian is most common in VT (12 per 1,000), ME (10 per 1,000), ND (7.8 per 1,000), WV (7.7 per 1,000), AK (7.3 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 3 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Lillian is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Lillian
Lillian carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
Counted as one name, the Lillian family went to about 11,857 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #6, versus #57 for Lillian alone.
Names like Lillian
Statistically, parents drawn to Lillian tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Vivian, Clara, Ruby, Josephine, and Alice.
VivianClaraRubyJosephineAliceEstherEvaGenevieve
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Lillian | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,966 | #57 |
| 2024 | 3,893 | #54 |
| 2023 | 3,940 | #55 |
| 2022 | 4,260 | #50 |
| 2021 | 4,328 | #51 |
| 2020 | 4,515 | #46 |
| 2019 | 5,127 | #37 |
| 2018 | 5,567 | #34 |
| 2017 | 6,181 | #27 |
| 2016 | 6,386 | #28 |
| 2015 | 6,628 | #26 |
| 2014 | 6,924 | #25 |
| 2013 | 7,085 | #26 |
| 2012 | 7,171 | #25 |
| 2011 | 6,934 | #22 |
| 2010 | 6,957 | #22 |
| 2009 | 6,861 | #27 |
| 2008 | 6,817 | #29 |
| 2007 | 6,552 | #33 |
| 2006 | 6,236 | #38 |
| 2005 | 5,215 | #50 |
| 2004 | 4,734 | #65 |
| 2003 | 4,030 | #76 |
| 2002 | 3,397 | #96 |
| 2001 | 2,951 | #111 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Lillian?
In official American birth records, the name Lillian first appeared in 1880 (over 145 years ago), when 672 newborn girls received the name. It has over a century of continuous American history.
Is Lillian a popular girl name?
Lillian ranked #57 among girls in 2025 with 3,966 babies given the name — firmly in the top 100, so yes, it’s a popular choice. Ten years earlier it ranked #26.
When was the name Lillian most popular?
Lillian peaked in 1920, when 10,049 American girls received the name (ranked #18 that year). Since 1920 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Lillian?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 454 newborn American girls was named Lillian. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.