![]() Lily, an Art Nouveau illustration by Alfons Mucha, 1898. | |
Pronunciation | English: /lɪliː/ |
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Gender | Feminine |
Origin | |
Meaning | lilium |
Other names | |
Alternative spelling | Lili, Lilli, Lillie, Lilly |
Related names | Lilia, Liliana, Liliane, Liliann, Lilibet, Lilibeth, Lilja, Lillian, Lilliana, Lilliane, Lillianne, Lillybeth, Lilyana, Lilyann, Lilyanna, Lilybeth, Lilymae, Lilyrose, Tigerlily |
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. [1] [2] Names beginning with or containing the letter L have also been particularly fashionable for girls. [3] It is also occasionally used as a diminutive for other names such as Elizabeth. [4]
The popularity of the name increased steadily in most countries in western Europe and English-speaking countries during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. [5]
The name is often used in combination with other names, sometimes spelled with a hyphen and sometimes without. Well-used combination names in use in countries such as Canada and the United States include those influenced by Lillian or Liliana or considered a combination of Lily and the names Anna, Ann, or Anne, such as Liliann, Lilianna, Lili-Ann, Lili-Anne, Lillianna, Lillianne, Lillyana, Lillyann, Lilly-Ann, Lillyanna, Lillyanne, Lilly-Anne, Lilyana, Lilyanna, Lily-Anne and Lily-Ann.
Other popular combination names in use include Lily-Rose, a combination of Lily and the name Rose, which is particularly well used in Quebec, Canada, where it was the 65th most popular name for newborn girls in 2022 [6] and ranked among the top 300 names overall for girls in Canada in 2021, placing 297th on the popularity chart with 105 uses for Canadian girls that year, and its spelling variants Lili-Rose, which had nine uses in Canada in 2021, and Lilirose, Lilly-Rose, and Lilyrose. [7] [8] The name Lilyrose or Lily-Rose is also well used in England and Wales, where it has ranked among the top 1,000 names for girls since 2001 and among the top 500 names since 2006, [9] and in France, where it has ranked among the top 500 names for French girls since 2004. [10] It ranked among the top 200 names for newborn girls in Belgium in 2021. [11] The name has also seen increased use in the United States, though it has not ranked among the top 1,000 names for American girls. Thirty-five American girls were given the name Lilyrose in 2022 and eleven American girls were called Lillyrose that year. [12]
Other related or associated names include, among others, Lilia, Lilibet, Lilibeth, Lilika, Lilith, Lilja, Lilou, and Tigerlily.
Some equivalents for the name Lily from other cultures include: [13]
Sharon, also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name.
Chloe, also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰelh₃-, which relates to the colors yellow and green. The common scientific prefix chloro- derives from the same Greek root. In Greek the word refers to the young, green foliage or shoots of plants in spring.
Vanessa is a feminine given name.
Teresa is a feminine given name.
Samantha is a feminine given name.
Renée is a French feminine given name and surname.
Chelsea is an English given name derived from the Old English place name ċealc hȳð, or the modern Celcyth, meaning chalk landing place. The name evolved to Chelsea, a location on the River Thames that became a London borough known for its wealthy, socially influential residents. Many locations have been named after the English place name Chelsea.
Karen is a given name and occasional surname. In English, it is a feminine given name derived from the name Katherine, and it is also found in modern Africa, as well as in East Asia. However, in other countries such as Iran and Armenia, it is a masculine name deriving from Middle Iranian. The name 'Karen' also became a popular nickname for middle aged women that easily resort to asking for management in the face of adversity.
Violet is a female given name which comes from the eponymous flower. As with other such names, its popularity has varied dramatically over time. Flower names were commonly used from about 1880 through about 1910 in the United States, with usage dropping throughout the next 80 years or so; Violet was the 88th most frequent girls' given name in 1900, dropping below position 1000 by 1960. In 1990, the name appeared again in the top 1000 at position 289 and subsequently increased in popularity. It was the 20th most used name for newborn American girls in 2022. It rose rapidly in popularity for American girls born that year, one of several fashionable names that contain a letter v. In 2022, it was the 27th most popular name given to girls in Canada.
Angela is a female given name. It is derived from the Greek word ángelos (ἄγγελος), meaning angel from Greek belief systems. In the United States, the name "Angela" was at its most popular between 1965 and 1979, when it was ranked among the top 10 names for girls. Between 1922 and 2021, in the United States, the name was ranked in the top 35 names for girls.
Emily is a feminine given name derived from the Roman family name "Aemilius", and is the feminine form of the name Emil.
Zoe, Zoey, Zoie, Zoi, Zoé or Zoë is a female first name of Greek origin, meaning "life". It is a popular name for girls in many countries, ranking among the top 100 names for girls born in the United States since 2000. It is also well used in other English-speaking countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, as well as in other countries including Argentina, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland. In 2022, Zoe was the 20th most popular name given to girls in Canada, while Zoey was 42nd.
Amber is a feminine given name taken from amber, the fossilized tree resin that is often used in the making of jewelry. The word can also refer to a yellowish-orange color.
Leila is a feminine given name primarily found in the Middle East, including Semitic speaking countries, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. In the Latin alphabet, the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Leila, Layla, Laylah, Laila, Leyla, and Leylah.
Tiffany is a primarily English feminine form of the Greek given name Theophania. It was formerly often given to children born on the feast of Theophania, that is, Epiphany. The equivalent Greek male name is Theophanes (Θεοφάνης), commonly shortened to Phanis (Φάνης) and the female is Theophania (Θεοφανία) or Theophano (Θεοφανώ), colloquially Phani (Φανή).
The given name Lisa can be a short form of Elisabeth, Melissa or Elizabeth. In the United Kingdom, the name Lisa began to gain popularity during the 1960s, by 1974 it was the fifth most popular female name there, and a decade later it was the 14th most popular female name there. However, by 1996 it had fallen out of the top 100. Similarly, in the United States it was the most popular female name for most of the 1960s and in the top 10 through most of the 1970s before falling.
Carrie is a female given name in English speaking countries, usually a pet form of Caroline or Carolyn. Other spellings include Cari, Kari, Karie, Kerry, Carri, Karri, Kerrie, Kerri, Keri, Cerry, and Karrie, as well as various other spellings. Related names may include Carol, Caroline, Carolyn, Carolyne, or Carolynne.
Lilly is a feminine given name which is borne by:
Sally is an English language feminine given name that originated as a hypocorism for Sarah. Young children often have difficulty in pronouncing the letter r, which resulted in nicknames like Sally that substitute the letter r for l. Other examples include Dolly for Dorothy, Hallie for Harriet, Lolly for Laura, and Molly or Polly for Mary. Sally and spelling variant Sallie have also been in use as independent names since the 1700s. The name was popularized by cultural influences in the early 20th century, including the popular Broadway musical Sally, which debuted in 1920. Actress Marilyn Miller played Sally on stage and a 1929 film. An earlier film featured Colleen Moore in the role of Sally. The popularity of performer Sally Rand also increased usage of Sally in the Anglosphere in the 1920s and 1930s. In the United States, the name was among the top 100 names for American girls until 1956. It reached the peak of its popularity in 1939, when it was the 52nd most popular names for American girls. It then declined in use, but had a brief increase in use in the late 1970s due to the influence of the American actress Sally Field. It is also a nickname for Salome and Salimeh, which are especially popular in the Eurasian country Georgia.
Melody is a modern English feminine given name taken from the vocabulary word melody, which is ultimately derived from the Greek μελῳδία, melōidía, "singing, chanting").