2000
#1,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,742
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.06
Uncommon Last name
Lilly
Derived from the name of the flower, likely referring to a person who lived near lilies or sold lilies.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,156 Americans carry the last name Lilly. That puts it at #1,670 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lilly surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lilly with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,189
Census rank
#1,670
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,065 bearers of the surname Lilly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1670th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lilly, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lilly
The surname Lilly originated in England, with roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "lilie," meaning the flower lily, which was often used as a nickname for someone of a pure or virtuous nature.
The earliest known record of the Lilly surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195, where a person named William Lili is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century, likely as a descriptive nickname that later became a hereditary surname.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a Robert Lylye from Oxfordshire, indicating the name's spread across different regions of England during the Middle Ages. The varied spellings, such as Lili, Lylye, and Lillie, reflect the fluid nature of surnames in those times.
One notable early bearer of the Lilly surname was John Lylly (or Lyly), a renowned English writer and playwright from the Elizabethan era, born in 1554 and died in 1606. He was best known for his courtly prose fiction, including the works "Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit" and "Euphues and His England."
Another prominent figure was William Lilly, an English astrologer and occultist born in 1602 and died in 1681. He was one of the most famous astrologers of his time and published several influential works, including "Christian Astrology" and an autobiography titled "William Lilly's History of His Life and Times."
In the late 16th century, the Lilly surname was also associated with the village of Lilley in Hertfordshire, which derived its name from the Old English word "leah," meaning a woodland clearing. This suggests a potential connection between the surname and a place name, a common phenomenon in the development of English surnames.
Other notable bearers of the Lilly surname include Everard Lilly, an English composer and organist from the 17th century, and John Lilly, an American writer and philosopher born in 1915, known for his works on consciousness and human potential.
While the Lilly surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with bearers of the name found in countries such as the United States, Australia, and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lilly
Among Census respondents with the surname Lilly, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lilly bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lilly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 15,643
- Black or African American16.8% · 3,546
- Two or more races4.2% · 886
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 714
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 136
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lilly
Lilly appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,662
+920 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 7.68
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#1,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,065
-1,597 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 7.05
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,511 | 21,742 | 8.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,580 | 22,662 | 7.68 | +920 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #1,670 | 21,065 | 7.05 | -1,597 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 90 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lilly surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,580 | #1,670 | -5.7% |
| Count | 22,662 | 21,065 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.68 | 7.05 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lilly bearers went from 22,662 to 21,065 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,580 to #1,670.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lilly
FAQ
Lilly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lilly?
Name Census estimates that about 24,156 living Americans carry the surname Lilly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,189 residents.
How common is Lilly?
Lilly ranks #1,670 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,065 people with the surname Lilly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Lilly.
Has Lilly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lilly went from 22,662 recorded bearers to 21,065. That is a decrease of 1,597 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,580 to #1,670.
What does the Census say about the background of Lilly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lilly, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lilly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (15,643 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lilly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Black (16.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lilly (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lilly mean?
Derived from the name of the flower, likely referring to a person who lived near lilies or sold lilies. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lilly (7.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Lilly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.