Lily
The flower, from Latin lilium; also long used as a pet form of Elizabeth.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Lily appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 2002 to 2025. Its biggest year was 2011, when 8,192 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 15 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 18 for girls. All told, 189,789 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Lillie (159,791), Lilly (66,752), Lili (3,862), Lilli (3,383), Lilie (1,473), Lillee (1,085) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Elizabeth, Lillian, Liliana
Explore Lily interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 680 | No. 200 |
| 1890s | 979 | No. 254 |
| 1900s | 1,045 | No. 287 |
| 1910s | 2,795 | No. 291 |
| 1920s | 3,757 | No. 316 |
| 1930s | 2,229 | No. 389 |
| 1940s | 1,511 | No. 507 |
| 1950s | 1,426 | No. 738 |
| 1960s | 1,148 | No. 904 |
| 1970s | 1,220 | No. 901 |
| 1980s | 2,708 | No. 544 |
| 1990s | 9,772 | No. 152 |
| 2000s | 56,186 | No. 18 |
| 2010s | 68,316 | No. 15 |
| 2020s | 35,872 | No. 18 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.