Meanings
alternative Lilian
- A female given name from Latin, of American usage; variant form Lilian (UK).
Your mother's name was Lillian, Minnie Lee, Her other name I never heard, until I stood within the church and saw her wed So she is ever Lillian Lee to me.
1836, Adeline Sergeant, Lillian Lee1 more example
Lillian Russell was christened Helen Louise Leonard. Tony Pastor gave her the name Lillian Russell, for the very practical reason, I believe, that it had so many "l's" in it, and consequently would look well on a bill-board.
1907, Lewis Clinton Strang, Famous Prima Donnas, L.C.Page&Co, page 33
Origin
Used since the sixteenth century, possibly originally a pet form of Elizabeth, but generally accepted as a variant of Late Latin lilium (“lily”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Lillian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lillian
“Lillian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lillian. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lillian,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lillian.
Source: Lillian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.