Alternatives to Lillian

A beautiful Hawaiian mythological name — Lilinoe is the goddess of the rain.

Liliosa, one of the most extravagant forms of the ever-more-popular and varied Lily family, is an ancient saint's name that's a perfect candidate for revival by parents who love the double-L flower name trend but want a distinctive variation. Saint Liliosa was one of the martyrs of 9th century Cordoba, along with her husband Felix and cousins Aurelius and Natalia — all names newly fashionable in the modern world.

Lilith is derived from the Akkadian word lilitu meaning "of the night." In Jewish folklore she is portrayed as Adam's rejected first wife, who was turned into a night demon for refusing to obey him. Lilith is unrelated to most other Lil- names, with the exception of Lilita, which is the Latvian variation.

Lilium is the genus of the lily family of plants and sounds a bit botanically formal for a first name. Try Lillia or Lilias.

This romantic, ethereal name sounds straight out of Arthurian legend but is in fact a modern hybrid of Guinevere and Lili.

The name of the only queen and last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, which was overthrown in January 1893.

Cute and quirky Lily alternative.

Lillemor is a relatively recent coinage in Scandinavia, where it was most popular in the 1930s and '40s, especially in Sweden. As such, it is considered rather dated in Scandinavia, but it would certainly make a fresh choice for lovers of "Lily" names abroad — although the "Lil" in this case actually comes from lille "little".

More than Lily yet less than Lillian, Lillia is a fresh and undeniably pretty member of the stylish genus of double (or in this case triple) l names. You can also spell it Lilia.

A variation of Lileas and Lilian.

This delicate and pretty member of the prolific Lily family is best known as the name of the heroine of Alexander Chee's novel Queen of the Night, Lilliet Berne. A combination of Lillian and Juliet, Lilliet and its near-twin Liliet were given to no baby girls in the US in recent years, but do have some history of use. If you can't decide between Lily and Juliet, this is obviously the name for you.

Lilly may contain one L too many for some people, though this secondary spelling of a name that's become wildly popular is still a popular choice. And the Lilly spelling does feel a bit less wispy, a bit more like a name as opposed to a mere flower, than the slender and delicate Lily. Lilly suggests the long-form Lillian, but it doesn't need to be an abbreviation for anything; Lilly can stand on its own.

Lilou is a charming, rarely heard import. Occitan is a language spoken in Provence, in the south of France, in which the suffix "ou" denotes a pet form — thus, Lilou as a short form of Liliane or its Occitan form Liliana or Liliano. Its popularity in France--where it's currently Number 12--can be traced to the 1997 film The Fifth Element.

An elaboration of cute French nickname name Lilou, or the Breton form of Lilwen. An unusual and appealing Lily name.

An unusual member of the "Lily" family of names, this one gives you the option for sweet vintage nickname Winnie, too. It's very unusual even in its native country, never given to more than 3 babies per year since naming records began in 1996.

Breton variant of Lilwen

Lily is the most popular of the popular delicate century-old flower names now making a return, thanks to its many irresistible attributes: a cool elegance and a lovely sound, a symbol of purity and innocence, and a role in Christian imagery.