Nicknames for Lily
31 ideas for Lily — the short forms people actually use, plus cute, funny and gamer versions. Copy any of them in one click.
- Lil the everyday clip
- Lils the friend version, plural-sounding
- Lulu the warm doubled form
- Lolly the British nursery version
- Lily-Bear the usual affectionate pattern
- Lilypad the joke that becomes a real pet name
- Lillie the older spelling
- Lilly the double-l spelling
- Lili the French and German spelling
- Lilli the German form
- Lilia the Italian and Spanish form
- Liliya the Russian form
- Lilja the Icelandic and Finnish form
- Liliana the elaborated Latin form
- Lilou the French affectionate form
- Lilika the Greek affectionate diminutive
- Lily-Rose the compound, now common on its own
- Lily-Mae the other standard double name
- Lilibet the compound with Elizabeth, royal precedent
- Lils-Bug family pet name
- Lily Pilly the Australian rhyming version
- L initial only, in group chats
- Lilz the texting spelling
- Tiger Lily the escalation, for the fierce one
- Lily-Livered ironic, for the bravest one in the room
- Lilie Lily with the ending people add when they like you.
- Lilu Lily with the ending people add when they like you.
- Li-li The opening sound of Lily, doubled.
- Lucky Lily Shares the "L" sound with Lily.
- Lunar Lily Shares the "L" sound with Lily.
- Lilo Lily with the ending people add when they like you.
About the name Lily.
Two quite separate names have merged here. One is the flower, which medieval Europe attached to the Virgin Mary as an emblem of purity and which Victorian parents used directly. The other is a pet form of Elizabeth, Lilian and Lillian that hardened into a name of its own. The flower reading has won over the last thirty years. After sitting almost unused between the 1940s and the 1980s, it rose sharply through the 1990s and reached the American top twenty in the 2010s, with Britain running slightly ahead of that. The spelling stayed contested throughout, and Lilly and Lillie both hold ground, which is unusual for a name of only four letters.
Soft consonants and a bright final vowel make this read gentle without being wispy, and the botanical association keeps it from ageing badly. Lils is the blunt everyday clip. Lulu is louder and more theatrical. Families often keep the full form for the two-syllable rhythm alone, since there is little to gain from cutting it.
Most popular around 2010. Based on US birth records.
- Origin
- Latin
- Meaning
- lily flower
- Syllables
- Li·ly
- Used as
- a girls’ name
Lily around the world.
These are the real forms Lily takes in other languages, which often make excellent nicknames in their own right.
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Lili
French
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Lilli
German
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Lilia
Italian
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Liliya
Russian
Famous people called Lily.
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Lily Tomlin
American comedian and actress
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Lily Allen
English singer and songwriter
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Lily James
English actress, Downton Abbey
Questions about the name Lily
Is Lily short for a longer name? +
It can be. Lilian, Lillian and Elizabeth all produced Lily historically, and Lilith and Liliana do now. But most girls given the name today have it on their birth certificate in full, with the flower rather than any longer form as the intended reference.
Lily, Lilly or Lillie? +
Lily with one l in the middle is the flower spelling and the majority form. Lilly doubles the consonant and is common in the American Midwest and in Germany. Lillie is the older Victorian spelling, worn by the actress Lillie Langtry, and now reads distinctly antique.
What are the affectionate forms? +
Lils and Lil are the standard clips, though Lil now competes with its slang use as a prefix. Lolly appears in British families. Lulu shows up where a household wants something with more bounce to it. Beyond those, most people just say the whole name.
Is Lily still climbing? +
It has levelled off. The name peaked in the United States around 2010 and has eased back a little since, while holding firm in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia. It is popular rather than fashionable now, which usually means a long slow plateau.