Lylla
A feminine English name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Lila.
Name Census estimates that about 230 living Americans carry the first name Lylla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lylla today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lylla births was 2023 (59 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lylla. 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
230
~ 1 in 1,490,236 Americans
Peak year
2023
59 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,061
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Lylla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lylla from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 123 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lylla 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 Lylla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lyllas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Lylla, while Florida, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lylla
The name Lylla has its origins in ancient Greek, where it was derived from the word "lyllos," meaning "distorted" or "twisted." It was often used to describe something that was misshapen or deformed. The earliest known recorded use of the name dates back to the 4th century BC, when it appeared in a Greek play by the playwright Aristophanes.
In ancient Greek mythology, Lylla was the name of a nymph who was said to have been turned into a twisted tree by the gods as punishment for her vanity. This mythological reference may have contributed to the name's association with deformity or distortion.
During the Byzantine era, which lasted from the 4th to the 15th century AD, the name Lylla was occasionally used as a feminine name among Greek-speaking populations. However, it remained relatively uncommon and was often associated with physical imperfections.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Lylla was a Greek poet who lived in the 3rd century BC. She is known for her work in the genre of lyric poetry, which was popular at the time.
Another notable Lylla was a Byzantine princess who lived in the 10th century AD. She was the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Basil I and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
In the 12th century, a woman named Lylla was a prominent figure in the court of the Norman king William II of Sicily. She was known for her influential role in the kingdom's political affairs.
During the Renaissance period, the name Lylla resurfaced in Italy, where it was sometimes used as a shortened form of the name Lylla Bella, which means "beautiful twisted one" in Italian. One notable Italian bearer of the name was Lylla Piccolomini, an Italian noblewoman who lived in the 16th century.
In the 19th century, a French poet named Lylla Leroy gained recognition for her work in the Romantic movement. She was born in 1820 and is remembered for her emotive and evocative poetry.
While the name Lylla has been used throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon, perhaps due to its association with deformity or imperfection in its ancient Greek origins.
People
Lylla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lylla 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
Lylla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lylla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 230 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lylla 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 1,490,236 US residents.
Is Lylla a common name?
We classify Lylla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 232 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lylla most popular?
The single biggest year for Lylla was 2023, when 59 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lylla is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lylla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lylla 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.