How Many People Are Named Lillian?
An estimated 193,349 people in the United States have the first name Lillian. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #280 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 29 years old, and Lillian peaked in popularity in 1920 with 10,075 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Lillian as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Lillian paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Lillian is overwhelmingly female, 1,429 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
193,349
About 1 in 1,773 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.7% confidence
Average Age
29
years old
Peak Year
1920
10,075 births
Total Registered
472,453
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Lillian
Lillian is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 472,453 total births registered, 99.7% were female.
Lillian as a male name
Ranked #13,286 in 2020
5 male births in 2020
Peak: 1928 (46 births)
Lillian as a female name
Ranked #54 in 2024
3,882 female births in 2024
Peak: 1920 (10,049 births)
Lillian in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 182,256 people with the first name Lillian, which placed it at #306 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Lillian was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 182,256 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.1% were male and 99.9% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.7% of the time.
Census Count
182,256
people with this name
Census Rank
#306
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
60.34
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Lillian was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (71.66%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (11.81%) and Black (8.04%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Lillian in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Lillian.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 71.66% | 130,593 |
| Hispanic | 11.81% | 21,518 |
| Black | 8.04% | 14,660 |
| Two or More Races | 4.63% | 8,444 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.11% | 5,666 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.75% | 1,371 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Lillian: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Lillian span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 83,491 babies were registered. Lillian has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Lillian by Decade
How has Lillian tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 11,308 | 38 | 11,270 | |
| 1890s | 24,210 | 104 | 24,106 | |
| 1900s | 32,646 | 127 | 32,519 | |
| 1910s | 76,158 | 244 | 75,914 | |
| 1920s | 83,491 | 332 | 83,159 | |
| 1930s | 37,618 | 225 | 37,393 | |
| 1940s | 22,404 | 90 | 22,314 | |
| 1950s | 16,559 | 51 | 16,508 | |
| 1960s | 10,664 | 57 | 10,607 | |
| 1970s | 5,378 | 15 | 5,363 | |
| 1980s | 5,403 | 14 | 5,389 | |
| 1990s | 11,242 | 13 | 11,229 | |
| 2000s | 49,465 | 73 | 49,392 | |
| 2010s | 64,989 | 41 | 64,948 | |
| 2020s | 20,918 | 5 | 20,913 | |
Lillian by State
Birth registrations for Lillian span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Texas. The lowest are in Wyoming, Alaska, Nevada. On average, about 7,867 Lillians were registered per state.
Lillian + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Lillian as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Lillian
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
Lillian: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lillian?
We estimate approximately 193,349 people named Lillian are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,773 Americans share this first name.
Is Lillian a common name?
Lillian is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 472,453 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Lillian most popular?
Lillian reached peak popularity in 1920, when 10,075 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Lillian is approximately 29 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Lillian in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 182,256 people with the first name Lillian. That placed it at #306 in the published Census first-name tables, or 60.34 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Lillian was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lillian?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Lillian was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.1% male and 99.9% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lillian?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Lillian was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (71.66%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (11.81%) and Black (8.04%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Lillian a female name?
Lillian is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Lillian have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Lillian peaked in 1920, and the average living bearer is about 29 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Lillian Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Lillian Smith, Lillian Johnson, Lillian Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me