Given name & surname
Lili
“a birdlike woman”·“a birdlike man”·“God is my oath”
Lili is a variant of Lily. One English interpretation is “resembling the flower; one who is innocent and beautiful.” In German use, Lili is a diminutive of Evelyn. Interpretations include “a birdlike woman” (German) and “a birdlike man” (German). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Lili is a variant of Lily. One English interpretation is “resembling the flower; one who is innocent and beautiful.” In German use, Lili is a diminutive of Evelyn. Interpretations include “a birdlike woman” (German) and “a birdlike man” (German). These may reflect different naming traditions. In German use, Lili is a diminutive of Elisabeth. One interpretation is “God is my oath.” In German use, Lili is a diminutive of Emily. The Roman family name behind Emily is probably connected with the Latin word for “rival,” although that derivation is uncertain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Lili is a variant of Lily. An origin associated with Lily is English. In German use, Lili is a diminutive of Evelyn. A possible origin is English, although the derivation remains uncertain. In German use, Lili is a diminutive of Emily. Emily is an English development of the Latin feminine name Aemilia.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German usage, Lili is a diminutive of Emily. In German usage, Lili is a diminutive of Elisabeth. In German use, Lili is a diminutive of Emily. The shared background comes through Emily: Aemilia is the feminine form of Aemilius. Emily developed through a medieval version of that name; the proposed root is aemulus, “rival.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In German use, Lili is a diminutive of Emily. The history of Emily gives this family its wider story. Emily was relatively uncommon in the Middle Ages and was revived in the nineteenth century. At that time, Emilia and the separately rooted Amelia were often confused, helping explain their overlapping naming histories.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Lili through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,862
- 0 boys · 3,862 girls
- Most popular year
- 2003
- 139 babies
- 2025
- 61
- #2,800 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +11%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 61 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,800 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 11.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 139 in 2003. In 2025, California and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (8 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,870 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.
Lili’s family of names
In German usage, Lili is a diminutive of Emily. Lili has a related form in Lily. In German usage, Lili is a diminutive of Evelyn.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Lili has relatives in 4 languages.
9 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Lilaequivalent
- Liliaequivalent
- Liliyaequivalent
- Liljaequivalent
- Lilitequivalent
- Liletteequivalent
- Lileequivalent
- 莉莉equivalent
Show 2 moreShow fewer
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lili
- Lili ElbeDanish painter and transgender woman (1882–1931)
- Lili ReinhartAmerican actress (born 1996)
- Lili BoulangerFrench composer (1893–1918)
- Lili TaylorAmerican actressborn 1967
- Lili DamitaAmerican actress (1904-1994)
- Lili KrausHungarian born English classical pianist (1903–1986)
- Lili SimmonsAmerican actress and modelborn 1993
- Lili Bechactress (1885-1939)
- Lili DarvasHungarian actress (1902–1974)
Characters named Lili: Lili (Tekken).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Lili, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Arly
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23% boys · 77% girls
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Carlie
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Harlie
“from the meadow of the hares”
>99% girls
Lynnea
“a man of the lake”
>99% girls
Carly
“a free woman” · “from the farmer's meadow”
>99% girls