Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Lil?
Births per year, rank history and how many Lils are alive today.
Lil (female) is a shortened form of the name Lilian (and sometimes of Lily or Lilly). Lil itself was last registered for 3 babies in 2007; most Lils are registered as Lilian, which ranked 531st in 2025 with 75 babies.
Most people called Lil are registered as Lilian, and share that name's profile: the Lilian you are most likely to meet is around 89 years old - or else around 10: the name has two living generations. Half of all Lilians born in England and Wales are between 37 and 85, and there are at least 23,000 of them alive today. Only some Lilians go by Lil.
How many babies are named Lil or Lilian each year?
Combined registrations of Lilian, Lillian, Lil. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Lilian rank as a registered name?
Where does Lil rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Lil short for Lilian?
Yes - Lil is a shortened form of Lilian. It is also used for Lily and Lilly. Lils are usually registered as Lilian at birth.
When was the name Lil most popular?
The full name Lilian peaked in 1904, when around 7,100 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Lil itself peaked as a registered name in 2007, with 3 babies.
How many people are called Lil?
There's no official count of people who go by Lil, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 23,000 people registered as Lilian born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Lil.
How old is the typical Lil?
Most people called Lil are registered as Lilian. Most living Lilians are between 37 and 85; the most common age is about 89. There is a second cluster around 10.
Is Lil becoming more or less popular?
Well past its peak: today's figures are a fraction of the 1904 peak, though numbers have levelled off in recent years.