Nameling

Lily

Gender
Girl
Say it
LIL-ee
Origin
English
UK rank, 2025
#2 for girls
US rank, 2025
#18 for girls

Vintage revivalTimeless

Lily is a girls' name of English origin, meaning “lily”. In 2025 it ranked 2nd for girls in the UK (2,538 babies) and 18th for girls in the US (6,673 babies).

What does Lily mean?

English: English flower name, from Latin lilium

“lily”

A flower name that was also once a pet form of Elizabeth; the white lily symbolises purity in Christian art.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Lily a girl's or a boy's name?

Lily is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 2,538 girls in the UK and 6,673 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Lily in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#2among girls
Babies in 2025
2,538about 1 in 110 girls
Five-year trend
Steadyup 1% in five years
Same name in a class
12%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 2,538 girls in the UK were named Lily, making it the 2nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6th. Its busiest year was 2011, with 5,430 girls.

Half of all the girls named Lily in the UK since 1996 were born between 2007 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 3,311 girls in the UK were given Lily or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #2.

Among girls in 2025, it was 2nd in England and Wales, 8th in Scotland and 5th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#20), 1914 (#25), 1924 (#47), 1934 (#95), 1994 (#90), 2004 (#16), 2014 (#9) and 2024 (#3).

1996Busiest: 5,430 in 20112025
Lily in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20252,538#2
20242,511#3
20232,599#4
20222,609#4
20212,481#6
20202,448#6
20192,598#10
20182,528#12
20172,766#10
20163,124#8
20153,117#10
20143,416#9
20133,302#11
20124,351#6
20115,430#2
20104,765#4
20094,369#8
20084,360#8
20074,280#8
20063,579#11
20052,990#17
20042,934#18
20032,310#25
20021,758#31
20011,410#43
20001,149#48
19991,025#55
1998889#68
1997742#80
1996665#91

How popular is Lily in the US?

Rank in 2025
#18among girls
Babies in 2025
6,673about 1 in 240 girls
Five-year trend
Steadyup 15% in five years
Same name in a class
5.7%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 6,673 girls in the US were named Lily, making it the 18th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 35th. Its busiest year was 2011, with 8,192 girls.

2025 had more girls named Lily than any year since 2015.

Half of all the girls named Lily in the US since 1880 were born between 2004 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 8,470 girls in the US were given Lily or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #12, up from #18 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 8,192 in 20112025
Lily in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
20256,673#18
20246,121#24
20236,176#20
20226,012#30
20215,632#31
20205,258#35
20195,461#34
20185,753#31
20175,862#33
20166,610#24
20156,683#25
20146,789#27
20137,004#27
20127,970#16
20118,192#15
20107,992#17
20098,101#18
20088,128#24
20077,499#27
20066,768#33
20056,090#39
20045,402#53
20034,434#69
20023,834#79
20013,197#103
20002,733#124
19992,123#152
19981,752#169
19971,355#219
19961,091#261
1995853#320
1994648#390
1993557#449
1992523#473
1991474#501
1990396#583
1989417#544
1988400#546
1987309#623
1986292#632
1985243#711
1984223#732
1983206#774
1982208#783
1981223#741
1980187#835
1979150#964
1978111#1,150
1977107#1,160
1976133#956
1975122#998
1974107#1,089
1973102#1,104
1972139#901
1971124#1,003
1970125#997
1969116#1,003
196899#1,056
196796#1,060
1966112#960
196594#1,079
1964133#904
1963123#953
1962120#974
1961128#956
1960127#945
1959127#928
1958149#832
1957149#831
1956159#781
1955165#737
1954144#779
1953130#805
1952133#774
1951135#756
1950135#740
1949131#747
1948139#707
1947138#724
1946122#732
1945142#604
1944154#592
1943160#594
1942173#562
1941166#547
1940186#507
1939168#518
1938195#475
1937178#491
1936202#449
1935210#446
1934216#441
1933242#409
1932245#419
1931268#399
1930305#389
1929302#385
1928345#370
1927366#354
1926344#362
1925362#360
1924409#332
1923418#316
1922418#317
1921407#326
1920386#331
1919368#332
1918388#326
1917330#346
1916373#312
1915343#320
1914252#330
1913212#330
1912245#291
1911130#350
1910154#310
1909109#343
1908102#357
1907104#342
190682#376
1905134#287
1904105#317
190395#319
190299#315
190189#317
1900126#291
1899115#267
189892#325
1897113#269
1896100#291
1895101#280
1894108#263
189383#295
189298#266
189173#294
189096#254
188984#256
1888102#229
188759#274
188675#237
188588#200
188460#252
188362#228
188263#214
188146#231
188041#240

Nicknames for Lily

Names like Lily

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Ivy Daisy Ruby Phoebe Amelia Grace Evie Isabella Isla Ava Hallie Willow

Other spellings of Lily

Lilly Lillie Lili Lilli Lilidh Lilee Lillee Lilie Lileigh Lilley Lilleigh

Names related to Lily

Lila Lilya Liliya Lilo Liel Liyla

More English names

Evelyn Hudson Harper Violet Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Hazel Carter Harrison River Ellie Frankie Grayson

Every English name

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, “Lily: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/lily, updated 20 October 2026.