Lily

At a Glance: Name: Lily – Meaning: the lily flower – Origin: English – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: LIL-ee

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Lily takes its name straight from the flower, and it's an English name through and through. You'll sometimes hear that it stands for 'purity' — that's really a meaning people have attached to the flower itself over time, not something built into the name. Said LIL-ee, it's a simple, familiar name that's kept steady company on the classic side of the naming style list.

Meaning & Origin of Lily

Meaning: The lily flower.

Origin: English.

A common claim: Lily is often said to symbolize 'purity,' echoing the flower's traditional meaning. Actually: That's a symbolic association layered onto the flower, not part of the name's literal etymology, which is simply 'the lily flower.'

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Lily

Phonetic: LIL-ee   IPA: /ˈlɪli/

Popularity of Lily

Lily peaked at #15 in 2011 with 8,192 babies given the name, and in 2024 it ranked #24 with 6,093 — still solidly in the top 25 after more than a decade past its high point.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.

Make Lily Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Lily, 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.

• Daisy
• Haley
• Ivy
• Kinsley
• Willow
• Adelynn

FAQ

What does the name Lily mean?

The lily flower. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Lily)

How do you pronounce Lily?

Lily is pronounced LIL-ee (IPA: /ˈlɪli/).

Is Lily a popular name right now?

Lily peaked at #15 in 2011 and is ranked #24 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)

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