Lilya
A feminine Russian given name derived from the flower lily.
Name Census estimates that about 565 living Americans carry the first name Lilya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lilya today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lilya births was 2021 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lilya. 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
565
~ 1 in 606,645 Americans
Peak year
2021
36 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,515
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Lilya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lilya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 267 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lilya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lilya 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 Lilya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lilyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Lilya, while Florida, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lilya
The name Lilya is derived from the Greek word "leiron," meaning "lily flower." Its origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, where the lily was revered as a symbol of purity, beauty, and rebirth.
The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 4th century BC, when a Greek woman named Lilya was mentioned in a historical text by the philosopher Aristotle. The name later spread throughout the Mediterranean region and became popular among early Christian communities.
In the Byzantine Empire, the name Lilya was associated with the Virgin Mary, who was often depicted holding a lily in religious artwork. This connection further solidified the name's association with purity and devotion.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Lilya was a 5th-century Christian martyr from Persia, known as Saint Lilya of Persia. She was executed for her faith during the reign of the Sassanid king Yazdegerd II.
In the 12th century, a French noblewoman named Lilya de Montfort played a significant role in the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar heretics in southern France.
During the Renaissance, the name Lilya gained popularity in Italy, where it was often associated with the arts and literature. One of the most famous bearers of the name was the Italian painter Lilya Caracci (1555-1619), known for her beautiful depictions of religious scenes.
In Russia, the name Lilya gained widespread popularity in the 19th century, with several notable writers and artists bearing the name. These include the poet Lilya Brik (1891-1978), who was a muse and companion of Vladimir Mayakovsky, and the painter Lilya Bredzka (1873-1935), known for her vibrant landscapes.
Another prominent figure with the name Lilya was the American labor organizer and activist Lilya Mikhailovna Reisner (1895-1935), who played a significant role in the Russian Revolution and the early years of the Soviet Union.
People
Lilya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lilya 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
Lilya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lilya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 565 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lilya 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 606,645 US residents.
Is Lilya a common name?
We classify Lilya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 570 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lilya most popular?
The single biggest year for Lilya was 2021, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lilya is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lilya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lilya 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.