Lilith (given name)

Last updated
Lilith
Rossetti lady lilith 1867.jpg
Lady Lilith by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1867.
GenderFemale
Language(s) Akkadian from lilû [1]
Origin
Meaningspirit, demon
Other names
Related namesLilit, Lilita, Lillith

Lilith is a feminine given name sometimes given in reference to Lilith, a character in Jewish folklore who was said to be the first wife of the first man Adam who disobeyed him, was banished from the Garden of Eden, and who became a mythical she-demon. [2] The mythological tale has inspired modern feminists. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

It was also the name of Lilith Fair, a concert tour and traveling music festival from 1997 to 1999 that featured only female artists and female-led bands.

Lilith and Black Moon Lilith are placements in modern astrology that are said to represent women's liberation. [6]

Its similarity in sound to the etymologically unrelated, popular name Lily might also have increased awareness of the name. [7] Other names starting with the letter L as well as mythological names have been well used by new parents in recent years. [8]

Lillith is a spelling variant. Other variants include the Armenian Lilit and the Latvian Lilita. [9] [10]

Usage

Lilith has been among the top 1,000 names in use for newborn girls in the United States since 2010 and among the top 300 names since 2021. [11] It has been among the top 1,000 names in use for newborn girls in England and Wales since 2015. [12] It ranked among the top 500 names for newborn girls in Canada in 2021. [13]

People

Notable fictional characters

See also

Notes

  1. Blair, Judit M. (2009). De-demonising the Old Testament : an investigation of Azazel, Lilith, Deber, Qeteb and Reshef in the Hebrew Bible. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-150131-9.
  2. Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Lilith". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  3. http://www.lillyrivlin.com/Lilith-Ms.Magazine-Dec.1972.pdf
  4. "Was Lilith the First Feminist in Folklore? – Centre of Excellence". www.centreofexcellence.com. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  5. "On International Women's Day, A History of Lilith. Was She a Demon or the First Feminist We Know?". HuffPost. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  6. Kelly, Aliza (2022-11-24). "A Handy Guide to Astrology's Black Moon Lilith". The Cut. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  7. "Lilith – Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity". Nameberry. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  8. Williams, Alex (12 June 2021). "Lilith, Lilibet … Lucifer? How Baby Names Went to 'L': Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are hardly the only new parents gravitating toward quirk, family tradition and 'L' names". New York Times. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  9. "Lilith – Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity". Nameberry. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  10. Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Lilith". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  11. https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi
  12. "Popularity for the name Lilith – Behind the Name". www.behindthename.com. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  13. "First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilith</span> Female entity in Near Eastern mythology

Lilith, also spelt Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and supposedly the primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden for not complying with and obeying Adam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen</span> Name list

Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen, an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the first martyr of the Christian Church.

Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie</span> Name list

Bonnie is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie", or the French bonne (good). That is in turn derived from the Latin word "bonus" (good). The name can also be used as a pet form of Bonita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilibet</span> Name list

Lilibet or Lillibet is a feminine given name of English or Welsh origin. It is often a nickname for the given name Elizabeth. It was the childhood nickname of Queen Elizabeth II, who called herself Lilibet when she was a toddler because she had difficulty pronouncing her full name. Her great-granddaughter Princess Lilibet of Sussex was named in her honour. The name has also been spelled Lilybet in some sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottilie</span> Name list

Ottilie is a given name for women. The name is a French derivative of the medieval German masculine name Otto, and has the meaning "prosperous in battle", "riches", "prosperous" or "wealth".

Alina is a female given name of European and Arabic origin. It is particularly common in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe and South Asia. It may be derived from the name Adelina. Alina was one of the top 10 most popular names in Switzerland and one of the top 50 most popular names in Finland, Norway, Germany and Austria in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily (name)</span> Name list

Lily is a feminine given name usually derived from lily, the flower. The name became particularly popular along with other flower names for girls during the 1800s and early 1900s. The lily also has associations with and has been symbolic of innocence and purity in Christian art. Names beginning with or containing the letter L have also been particularly fashionable for girls. It is also occasionally used as a diminutive for other names such as Elizabeth.

Luna is a feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning moon. In Roman mythology, Luna was the divine personification of the Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora (given name)</span> Name list

Flora is a feminine given name of Latin origin meaning flower, ultimately derived from the Latin word flos, which had the genitive florus. Flora was a fertility goddess of flowers and springtime in Ancient Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldie (given name)</span> Name list

Goldie is a nickname or given name used in reference to an informal English diminutive word for gold or an English version of the Yiddish name Golda or Golde, also meaning gold. It was often used as a pet name for a girl with blonde hair. It is also used as a nickname for formal names such as Marigold. It has a “vintage vibe” for some parents who have considered it. Other commentators note that the name has risen in use for girls along with other names of a similar style that all exude cuteness and promote enjoyment, perhaps in reaction to serious times. The English expression good as gold is often used to describe people who act virtuously and, in the case of children, are well-behaved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isis (given name)</span> Name list

Isis is a female first name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ophelia (given name)</span> Name list

Ophelia is a feminine given name, probably derived from Ancient Greek ὠφέλεια.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marigold (given name)</span> Name list

Marigold is an English name taken from the common name used for flowers from different genuses such as Calendula or Tagetes, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leilani (given name)</span> Name list

Leilani is a Hawaiian given name meaning "heavenly garland of flowers" or "royal child". The Hawaiian word lei refers to flowers and lani to the sky or heavens, with an association to royalty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cataleya (given name)</span> Name list

Cataleya is a feminine given name, a variant spelling of Cattleya, a genus of orchid named in honor of English botanist William Cattley. The surname Cattley is said to be a transferred use of Catley, a one-time English place name in both Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire. The place name was ultimately derived from the Old English words catte, meaning cat and leah, meaning meadow or clearing, giving the meaning “from the meadow or clearing where wildcats dwell.” Another name for the Cattleya orchid is cat orchid. Others have made a connection between the name and cats because of the name’s starting syllable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clover (given name)</span> Name list

Clover is a modern given name derived from the common name for the plant, which was ultimately derived from the Old English word clāfre. The name has associations with Ireland and with good fortune due to traditional tales about the Irish shamrock or four-leaf clover. The name has recently increased in usage, a trend that has been attributed to a renewed interest in “cottagecore names” with a vintage sensibility that are rooted in the natural world. The name has ranked among the 1000 most used names for newborn girls in the United States since 2021. It also ranked among the 1,000 most popular names for newborn girls in Canada in 2021, the year it ranked in 854th position on the popularity chart with 32 uses. The name also ranked among the top 1,000 names for newborn girls in England and Wales in 2021, the year it ranked in 918th place on the popularity chart there.

Collins is a given name, a transferred use of an English surname ultimately derived from multiple sources. It could be derived from Coll or Colin, an English diminutive of the Greek name Nicholas, or from the Irish word cuilein, meaning darling, from the Welsh collen, referring to a grove of hazel trees, or of the French Colline, meaning hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyra (given name)</span> Name list

Lyra is a feminine given name of Greek and Latin origin meaning lyre. It is usually given in reference to the constellation and the Greek myth that inspired its naming. The name has associations with music and harmony and the night sky. The name has recently increased in usage due to a character in His Dark Materials, a book trilogy by Philip Pullman, and the television show and film adapted from the books.

Raya is a given name with multiple, unrelated origins in different cultures.