Girls' name · peaked in 1898
Lillian name popularity since 1925
284,311 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Lillian. Half of them were born in 1998 or earlier, so the typical Lillian is about 28 years old in 2026. Lillian peaked in 1898 as the #10 name for girls, and it ranked #57 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 284,311
- Named Lillian, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1898
- #10 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #57
- for girls in 2025 (3,966 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% girls
- 283,542 girls · 769 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 1.59× its national share
Peak year is the year Lillian made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Lillian births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1925. Measured as a share of all babies, Lillian peaked earlier, in 1898.
- Steepest fall: Between 1934 and 1939, Lillian's share of baby girls fell by 38%.
- Fastest rise: Between 1995 and 2000, it became 2.7× more common, from 1 in 1,870 baby girls to 1 in 698.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Lillian's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Lillian.
Decade by decade
Babies named Lillian in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 35,483 | 185 | – |
| 1930s | 37,391 | 225 | #66 |
| 1940s | 22,315 | 90 | #124 |
| 1950s | 16,509 | 51 | #195 |
| 1960s | 10,606 | 57 | #272 |
| 1970s | 5,364 | 15 | #437 |
| 1980s | 5,390 | 14 | #413 |
| 1990s | 11,229 | 13 | #294 |
| 2000s | 49,393 | 73 | #50 |
| 2010s | 64,960 | 41 | #26 |
| 2020–25 | 24,902 | 5 | #57 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
26.7% of babies named Lillian from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Lillian is most popular
The index compares Lillian's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Lillian.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1.59× | 1,422 |
| Vermont | 1.58× | 751 |
| Alaska | 1.53× | 649 |
| Maine | 1.50× | 1,828 |
| Hawaii | 1.48× | 1,320 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Lillian and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Lillian (this page) | 283,542 | 1898 |
| Lilian | 18,770 | 2007 |
| Lillyan | 2,258 | 2009 |
| Lilliann | 1,258 | 2009 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Lillian's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Lillian.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Lillian (1898).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data