|
Origin: |
Lilian/Lillian started life as a medieval diminutive of Lylie/Lilie with the Old French suffix -an/-on. Lylie itself was most likely a pet-form of Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the English form of the Latin Elizabetha, from the Greek Elisabet which was, in turn, derived from the Hebrew Elisheba (el "God" and shaba "to swear, to promise an oath.") |
|
Usage: |
Evidence for Lylie/Lilie's medieval use, though sparse, comes from the 13th century when we find it as a byname (surname). One Alan Lilie is listed as a witness in the Bedfordshire Assize Rolls in 1247; a Hugh Lily is in the Hundred Rolls of Lincoln for 1275 and a "Thomas son of Lylie" is mentioned in 1296 in the Court Rolls of Wakefield. The diminutive Lilian itself is found in the instance of Geoffrey Lilion in the Bedfordshire Hundred Rolls in 1279. Reaney and Wilson argue that "the modern surnames Lelliott [and] Lilliard point to other derivitives" of Lylie/Lilie in use as well as Lilion.* It is almost impossible to tell how common Lilian was in the Middle Ages. Aside from the fact that records are scant, it was clearly used as a pet-name; any woman called Lilian in the 13th century would have been officially named Elizabeth. In George Redmonds' top 50 names from the poll tax returns of ten English counties 1377-81, Elizabeth ranks at #17, which he categorises as "quite popular." By the late 16th century, it was the #1 name in England and it is during this century that we find Lilian itself recorded as a given name and the variant Lilias in Scotland. Despite this, Lilian didn't come into regular use until the 19th century, and by the end of that century it had risen dramatically in usage. In 1850, 5 girls were named Lilian and 1 Lillian. A decade later in 1860, there were 128 Lilians and 45 Lillians. By 1870, Lilian was solidly in the top 100 and continued to rise. Birth rankings in England and Wales:
Through the 1910s and 1920s, Silent Cinema was dominated by American actress Lillian Gish (1893-1993) who gained the title "First Lady of American Cinema." Interestingly, while Lilian was always the more dominant spellings in Britain during the 19th and 20th century, in America, the favourite spelling was Lillian. The name also got royal credentials when two British women married into European royalty. Princess Lilian of Belgium (1916–2002) married King Leopold III of the Belgians in 1941 and Welsh-born Princess Lilian of Sweden (1915-2013) married Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland in 1976.
Both spellings rose in usage with Lillian pulling ahead as the more dominant spelling after 2000. In 2007, Lillian ranked #363 (120 births) and Lilian was not far behind at #451 (90 births). By 2012, however, the gap was greater with Lillian ranking #349(138 births) and Lilian having fallen to #624 (67 births). In 2016, Lillian ranked #293 (169 births) and Lilian ranked #630 (67 births) in England and Wales. In Scotland, Lillian ranked #453 (7 births) and Lilian was #798 (3 births). In America, Lillian has seen a revival — entering their top 100 again in 2002 and ranking in the top 30 since 2008. |
|
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Lillian Lawrence (1868–1926), American theatre and silent film actress. Contemporary: * Lilian Bryner, Swiss racing driver. Literature and Other Media: * Lillian Rearden, character in the book Atlas Shrugged. |
|
Variants: |
Lilias, Lileas (Scottish), Liliana (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish), Liliane (French) |
|
Pronunciation: |
LIL-ee-ən [key] |
| Possible Diminutives: |
Lily, Lally |
|
Sibling Names: |
Iris Martha Eleanor Flora Catherine Josephine |
|
Name Lists: |
Vintage Names Victorian Darlings Dickensian Names Tennyson Names Golden Age Hollywood |
|
If you like Lilian you may also like: |
Thanks to Dawn and Maisie for requesting this name.
