Given name
Lil
“resembling the lily”
In English use, Lil is a diminutive of Lily. One English interpretation is “resembling the flower; one who is innocent and beautiful.” In English use, Lil is a diminutive of Lillian. One Latin interpretation is “resembling the lily.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Lil is a diminutive of Lily. One English interpretation is “resembling the flower; one who is innocent and beautiful.” In English use, Lil is a diminutive of Lillian. One Latin interpretation is “resembling the lily.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Lil is a diminutive of Lily. An origin associated with Lily is English.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Lil is a diminutive of Lillian. In English usage, Lil is a diminutive of Lily.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lil through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 126
- 0 boys · 126 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 14 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1986. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 14 in 1957. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,299 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lil’s family of names
In English usage, Lil is a diminutive of Lillian. Lil has a related form in Lily. In English usage, Lil is a diminutive of Lily.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lil
- Lil DagoverGerman actress (1887–1980)
- Lil Hardin ArmstrongAmerican jazz musician (1898-1971)
- Lil TerseliusSwedish actress1944–2021
- Lil Milagro RamírezSalvadoran poet and revolutionary1946–1979
- Lil JohnsonAmerican blues singer1950–1950
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lil, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Merryl
“of the shining sea”
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Meryl
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Lorilynn
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
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Lorra
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Irvina
“friend of the sea”
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Lewana
“of the white moon”
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Loriann
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls