Lilou
A French feminine name derived from the flower 'lily', symbolizing purity and innocence.
Name Census estimates that about 344 living Americans carry the first name Lilou. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lilou today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lilou births was 2016 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lilou. 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.
People living today
344
~ 1 in 996,379 Americans
Peak year
2016
41 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,712
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Lilou: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lilou from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 223 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lilou remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lilou 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 Lilou during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lilous live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Lilou, while Florida, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lilou
The name Lilou is believed to have originated in France, likely during the late 19th or early 20th century. It is a diminutive form of the French name Lili, which itself is a shortened version of the name Liliane. Liliane is derived from the Greek name Aeilian, meaning "sun ray" or "sunshine."
While the name Lilou does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its roots can be traced back to the Greek language and culture. The earliest recorded use of the name Lilou is difficult to pinpoint with certainty, but it gained popularity in France during the 20th century.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Lilou was Lilou Chery, a French actress born in 1960. She appeared in various French films and television shows throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Another prominent figure with the name Lilou was Lilou Fogli, a French singer and actress born in 1965. She gained recognition for her role in the 1986 film "Subway" directed by Luc Besson.
In the literary world, Lilou Macé is a French author and poet born in 1975. She has published several collections of poetry and has received numerous literary awards in France.
Lilou Gremillet is a French contemporary artist born in 1985. Her works often explore themes of identity, femininity, and cultural heritage, and she has exhibited her art internationally.
Lilou Fogli, a French actress and singer born in 1965, is also known for her role in the 1986 film "Subway" and for her music career in the 1980s and 1990s.
While the name Lilou is primarily associated with France, it has gained some popularity in other parts of the world, particularly among French-speaking communities or those with cultural ties to France.
People
Lilou + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lilou 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
Lilou: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lilou?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 344 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lilou 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 996,379 US residents.
Is Lilou a common name?
We classify Lilou as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 347 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lilou most popular?
The single biggest year for Lilou was 2016, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lilou is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lilou a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lilou 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.