2000
#71,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Lily
A surname derived from the lily flower, often given to someone with a fair complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 537 Americans carry the last name Lily. That puts it at #48,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 638,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lily surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lily with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
537
1 in 638,276
Census rank
#48,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
468
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 468 bearers of the surname Lily in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lily, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lily
The surname LILY is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "lilie," which itself stems from the Latin "lilium," meaning lily flower. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a place abundant with lilies or worked with the flowers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LILY surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire in 1195, where a William Lili is mentioned. The surname also surfaces in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, referring to a Hugo Lili. These early appearances indicate that LILY was an established surname in various parts of England by the late medieval period.
The LILY name can be found in several historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a John Lili. In the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1381, a Thomas Lyly is recorded, showcasing the variations in spelling that were common during that era.
Noteworthy individuals bearing the LILY surname throughout history include John Lyly (1554-1606), an English playwright and courtier during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His works, such as "Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit" and "Endymion, the Man in the Moon," were highly influential in shaping the English Renaissance literary style.
Another prominent figure was William Lily (1468-1522), an English Renaissance grammarian and scholar. He is best known for his influential Latin grammar textbook, "A Short Introduction of Grammar," which was widely used in English schools for centuries.
The LILY surname also has connections to place names, such as Lily Hill in Berkshire, England, and Lily Village in Gloucestershire, both of which likely derived their names from the abundance of lilies in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the LILY surname include Sir Charles Samuel Lily (1826-1909), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, and William Samuel Lily (1840-1904), an English explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of Japanese flora and fauna.
While the LILY surname may have evolved from humble beginnings as a descriptive name for those associated with the lily flower, it has since been borne by individuals who have made lasting contributions to various fields, including literature, education, architecture, and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lily
Among Census respondents with the surname Lily, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lily bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lily surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.7% · 228
- Black or African American25.9% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.8% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 43
- Two or more races5.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lily
Lily appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#53,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 383
+128 bearers (+50.2%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 17,459 places
2020
#48,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468
+85 bearers (+22.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 5,201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #71,372 | 255 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,913 | 383 | 0.13 | +128 bearers (+50.2%) | Up 17,459 places |
| 2020 | #48,712 | 468 | 0.16 | +85 bearers (+22.2%) | Up 5,201 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lily surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #53,913 | #48,712 | 9.6% |
| Count | 383 | 468 | 22.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.16 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lily bearers went from 383 to 468 (+22.2% change). The surname moved up 5,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,913 to #48,712.
FAQ
Lily surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lily?
Name Census estimates that about 537 living Americans carry the surname Lily. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 638,276 residents.
How common is Lily?
Lily ranks #48,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 468 people with the surname Lily. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (537), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lily.
Has Lily become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lily went from 383 recorded bearers to 468. That is an increase of 85 (+22.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #53,913 to #48,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Lily?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lily, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lily in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.7% (228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lily appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.7%), Black (25.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lily (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lily mean?
A surname derived from the lily flower, often given to someone with a fair complexion. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lily (0.16 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Lily?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.