Girl · English (from Latin) · International
Lillian
LillianSay it LIL-ee-un
- Meaning today
- Lily, purity
- Original meaning
- "linked with the lily (Latin lilium); possibly a pet form of Elizabeth" Online Etymology Dictionary
- Say it
- LIL-ee-un
- Other spellings
- Lilian, Lilliane
Lillian
Stays on your phone. A family name is never required.
Lillian meaning
Lillian is an international girl's name of English origin (from Latin).
Linked with the lily (Latin lilium); possibly a pet form of Elizabeth
Also used to mean: purity
Lillian is an English name used since at least the sixteenth century and generally connected with the lily. The Online Etymology Dictionary traces the flower's name through Old English lilie to Latin lilium, and notes that from the 1500s "lily" also meant white, pure and lovely, which is where the popular sense "purity" comes from. Some writers think Lillian began instead as a pet form of Elizabeth, as Lily sometimes did. Lilian is the British spelling and Lillian the American one; Lily and Lilly are its short forms. It is said LIL-ee-un and suits Indian surnames well.
Source: Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com) · entry lily · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Online Etymology Dictionary, lily · Lewis & Short, lilium (Logeion)
Famous namesakes
- Lillian Gish, American silent-film actress
Popularity abroad
- #57 United States, girls 2025 (down 3 from 54 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #361 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Lillian · Lilian · Lilliane