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At a Glance: Name: Lilac – Meaning: named for the lilac flower/shrub and its purple blossoms – Origin: English (flower name) – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: LY-lak
Lilac is pronounced LY-lak, and it's an English name taken directly from the flowering shrub known for its purple blossoms. You may have heard that it means 'bluish,' tracing back to a Persian or Arabic root, but that claim doesn't hold up, so it's best left unconfirmed. What is certain is the flower itself — Lilac is simply named for it.
Meaning & Origin of Lilac
Meaning: Named for the lilac flower/shrub and its purple blossoms.
Origin: English (flower name).
A common claim: Lilac is sometimes said to mean 'bluish,' from a Persian/Arabic root behind the flower's name. Actually: Lilac is simply named for the lilac flower and shrub, not for a 'bluish' root.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Lilac
Phonetic: LY-lak IPA: /ˈlaɪlək/
Popularity of Lilac
SSA records go back to 1979, and Lilac's strongest showing in all that time is its most recent: in 2024 it ranked #3603, with 43 babies given the name.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1979–2024.
Make Lilac Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Lilac, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Lilac mean?
Named for the lilac flower/shrub and its purple blossoms. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Lilac)
How do you pronounce Lilac?
Lilac is pronounced LY-lak (IPA: /ˈlaɪlək/).
Is Lilac a popular name right now?
Lilac is at its highest recorded popularity right now, ranked #3603 in 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1979–2024.)
📊 How popular is Lilac? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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