Lillith
A feminine supernatural name derived from the Mesopotamian Lilitu.
Name Census estimates that about 1,965 living Americans carry the first name Lillith. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lillith today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lillith births was 2014 (113 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lillith. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Lillith is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.0K
~ 1 in 174,430 Americans
Peak year
2014
113 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,219
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Lillith: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lillith from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 953 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lillith remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lillith by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lillith during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lilliths live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Lillith, while Georgia, Washington, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lillith
The name Lillith finds its origins in ancient Babylonian mythology, originating from the Sumerian and Akkadian languages of ancient Mesopotamia. Lilith was a figure in Babylonian mythology, believed to be a female demon or spirit. The name is derived from the Sumerian words "lil" meaning air or wind, and "litu" meaning spirit or ghost.
Lilith is mentioned in various ancient texts and scriptures, including the Babylonian Talmud, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Alphabet of Ben Sira. In these texts, Lilith is portrayed as a vengeful and malevolent spirit, associated with the night and with the harming of infants and children.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Lillith comes from the 8th century BCE, where it appears in the Sumerian incantation text known as the "Evil Demon Series." This text describes Lilith as a winged female demon who attacks women during childbirth and steals infants.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Lillith. One of the earliest examples is Lillith of Crete, a renowned sorceress and herbalist who lived in the 5th century BCE. She was known for her knowledge of potions and spells and was widely feared and respected in ancient Greece.
In the 14th century, Lillith de Kyrstenye was a renowned French alchemist and philosopher. She was one of the few women of her time to be accepted into the male-dominated field of alchemy and was known for her contributions to the study of transmutation and the philosopher's stone.
Lillith Strickland (1887-1964) was a British artist and suffragette who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the early 20th century. She was known for her bold and provocative artwork, which often depicted women in powerful and defiant poses.
Lillith Granfelt (1900-1978) was a Finnish writer and poet who was instrumental in promoting modernist literature in her country. Her works often explored themes of feminism, sexuality, and the human condition, and she was widely celebrated for her bold and innovative style.
Lillith Rossouw (1933-2015) was a South African activist and political leader who played a crucial role in the anti-apartheid movement. She spent many years in prison for her activism and was a prominent figure in the fight for racial equality and social justice in South Africa.
People
Lillith + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lillith as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lillith: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lillith?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,965 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lillith going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 174,430 US residents.
Is Lillith a common name?
We classify Lillith as "Rare". It ranks above 93.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,994 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lillith most popular?
The single biggest year for Lillith was 2014, when 113 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lillith is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lillith a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lillith in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.