Lillah
A feminine name derived from the Hebrew name Lilien meaning "lily flower".
Name Census estimates that about 187 living Americans carry the first name Lillah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lillah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lillah births was 2011 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lillah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Lillah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
187
~ 1 in 1,832,911 Americans
Peak year
2011
18 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,863
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Lillah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lillah from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 121 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lillah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lillah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lillah
The name Lillah is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language. It is a feminine form of the name Laith, which means "lion" or "brave one." The earliest recorded use of the name Lillah dates back to the 7th century, during the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
In Islamic tradition, the name Lillah is often associated with strength, courage, and resilience. Some scholars suggest that it may have been derived from the Arabic word "lail," meaning "night," which could symbolize the protective and nurturing qualities of the feminine spirit.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Lillah was Lillah bint Abi Bakr, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and the daughter of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph of Islam. She lived in the 7th century and is revered for her piety and devotion to the Islamic faith.
In the 12th century, Lillah al-Muqaddasiyya was a renowned female scholar and poet from Jerusalem. She was known for her contributions to the fields of literature and Islamic jurisprudence, and her works were widely celebrated throughout the Middle East.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled from the 8th to the 13th century, the name Lillah gained popularity among the aristocracy and intellectual circles. One notable bearer was Lillah bint al-Mutawakkil, a princess and scholar who lived in the 9th century and was renowned for her knowledge of poetry and literature.
In the modern era, Lillah has been a name carried by several influential figures. Lillah McCarthy (1875-1960) was an American actress and vaudeville performer known for her comedic talents. Lillah Haris Nayder (1905-1992) was a prominent American philanthropist and social activist who advocated for women's rights and education.
Another notable bearer of the name was Lillah Djelil (1892-1953), an Algerian-French dancer and choreographer who helped popularize Algerian folk dances and contributed to the development of modern dance in France during the early 20th century.
While not as widely used as some other Arabic names, Lillah has retained its significance and cultural richness throughout history, serving as a testament to the enduring legacy of the Arabic language and culture.
People
Lillah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lillah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lillah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lillah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 187 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lillah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,832,911 US residents.
Is Lillah a common name?
We classify Lillah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 194 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lillah most popular?
The single biggest year for Lillah was 2011, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lillah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lillah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lillah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lillah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Lillah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lillah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lillah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Lillah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.