Lian
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- LEE-an
- Origin
- Chinese
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,779 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #428 for boys
Unisex
Lian is a name of Chinese origin, meaning “lotus”. In 2025 it ranked 1,779th for girls in the UK (17 babies) and 428th for boys in the US (752 babies).
What does Lian mean?
Chinese: meaning depends on the character used
“lotus”
In Chinese the meaning depends on the character chosen; one common choice for girls means 'lotus'.
Is Lian a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Lian has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 17 girls and 14 boys in the UK and 42 girls and 752 boys in the US.
How popular is Lian in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,779among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 17about 1 in 16,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 111% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 17 girls in the UK were named Lian, making it the 1,779th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 4,744th. 14 boys were also named Lian in 2025 (1,859th for boys).
2025 had the most girls named Lian of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Lian in the UK since 1996 were born between 2004 and 2022. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Girls were 70% of the babies named Lian in the UK in 2000, and 55% in 2025.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,719th in England and Wales.
Lian in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #1,779 |
| 2024 | 9 | #2,832 |
| 2023 | 12 | #2,329 |
| 2022 | 14 | #2,052 |
| 2021 | 14 | #2,069 |
| 2020 | 4 | #4,744 |
| 2019 | 5 | #4,214 |
| 2018 | 9 | #2,825 |
| 2017 | 4 | #4,967 |
| 2016 | 10 | #2,692 |
| 2015 | 5 | #4,294 |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,888 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,719 |
| 2012 | 5 | #4,390 |
| 2011 | 6 | #3,737 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 4 | #4,494 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 5 | #3,543 |
| 2004 | 10 | #2,064 |
| 2003 | 7 | #2,574 |
| 2002 | 5 | #3,047 |
| 2001 | 4 | #3,427 |
| 2000 | 7 | #2,304 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 7 | #2,304 |
| 1997 | 5 | #2,896 |
| 1996 | 7 | #2,201 |
How popular is Lian in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #428among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 752about 1 in 2,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 137% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 752 boys in the US were named Lian, making it the 428th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 792nd. It first appears in the records in 1984. 42 girls were also named Lian in 2025 (3,576th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 8 years. 2025 had the most boys named Lian of any year since it first appeared, in 1984.
Half of all the boys named Lian in the US since 1880 were born between 2017 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 3,365 boys in the US were given Lian or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #117, up from #428 for this spelling alone.
In 2002, 55% of the babies named Lian in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 5%, with more boys than girls since 2006.
Lian in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 752 | #428 |
| 2024 | 595 | #512 |
| 2023 | 493 | #582 |
| 2022 | 393 | #686 |
| 2021 | 345 | #740 |
| 2020 | 293 | #792 |
| 2019 | 273 | #826 |
| 2018 | 209 | #992 |
| 2017 | 194 | #1,036 |
| 2016 | 196 | #1,022 |
| 2015 | 165 | #1,141 |
| 2014 | 119 | #1,414 |
| 2013 | 110 | #1,483 |
| 2012 | 79 | #1,848 |
| 2011 | 71 | #1,946 |
| 2010 | 57 | #2,261 |
| 2009 | 43 | #2,799 |
| 2008 | 26 | #3,918 |
| 2007 | 30 | #3,509 |
| 2006 | 23 | #4,101 |
| 2005 | 13 | #5,869 |
| 2004 | 12 | #6,132 |
| 2003 | 14 | #5,265 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,124 |
| 2001 | 12 | #5,660 |
| 2000 | 8 | #7,409 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 5 | #9,008 |
| 1995 | 7 | #6,985 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 6 | #7,631 |
| 1992 | 7 | #6,662 |
| 1991 | 5 | #8,228 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 5 | #6,311 |
Names like Lian
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Eden Lyra Harper Luna Willow Lainey Lyla Lily Autumn Maeve Freya Mila
Other spellings of Lian
Names related to Lian
Liyana Lina Liana Lianna Liyan Lion Laine Laina Lino Lain Lin Luian Lan
More Chinese names
Jia Mei Tai Tian Jun Mulan Yi Tao San Jian Han Mian Bao Xia Yichen Ming
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Lian: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/lian, updated 20 October 2026.