Alternatives to Lily
- Lily Mai
- Lily May
- Lily Rose
- Maisie
Origin:
Scottish diminutive of Margaret or MaryMeaning:
"pearl or bitter"Description:
Maisie, a charming name long popular as a nickname for Margaret or Mary, entered the Top 1000 as itself ten years ago and continues to rise. Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams helped propel the name back into the limelight, along with the that of her character, Arya.
- May
Origin:
Diminutive of Margaret and Mary; month nameDescription:
May is a sweet old-fashioned name that hasn't been on the national charts in several decades, but is definitely sounding fresh and springlike. Parents are beginning to see it once more as one of the prettiest middle name options. May was as high on the list as Number 57 in the 1880s; it's now 228 on Nameberry.
- Maylily
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"flower name"Description:
A beautiful smoosh of two stylish vintage girl names, May and Lily, but also the name of a pretty lily of the valley flower with small white blooms.
- Millie
Origin:
Diminutive of Mildred or MillicentMeaning:
"gentle strength; strong in work"Description:
Millie is back. It's a Top 100 name throughout much of the English-speaking world, though not yet in the US. Millicent would be an appealing long form, but many people are using Millie all by its cute self -- so many, in fact, that it returned to the Top 500 in 2015 for the first time since World War 2 and continues to climb.
- Milly
Origin:
Spelling variation of Millie or short form of Camilla, Millicent, Mildred etc.Description:
Milly and her more popular sister Millie are adorable Old Lady nickname-names springing back to life. Nearly 100 baby girls were named Milly, just Milly, last year, and Millie is in the US Top 500. Milly is the Molly of the new generation.
- Nilou
Origin:
Variation of Niloufar, PersianMeaning:
"water lily, lotus"Description:
This delightful, lovable Persian name is typically reserved as a nickname for Niloufar. It rhymes with Lilou, the utterly charming French nickname.
- Ollie
Origin:
Short form of Olive or Olivia, LatinMeaning:
"olive tree"Description:
Ollie is used less often as a nickname for the mega-popular Olivia or the stylish Olive than Ellie is for Eleanor or Allie for Allison. That may be because Ollie has a much longer use as a nickname for boys.
- Poppy
Origin:
English from LatinMeaning:
"red flower"Description:
Poppy, unlike most floral names which are sweet and feminine, has a lot of spunk. Long popular throughout the rest of the English-speaking world, Poppy is finally starting to rise toward the top in the US, where it entered the Top 1000 for the first time in 2016.
- Posie
Origin:
Variation of Posy or short form of Mariposa, English or SpanishMeaning:
"a bunch of flowers or butterfly"Description:
Posie and its near-identical twins Posy and Posey are delicate old-fashioned flower names of the type that are stylish today: Think Poppy, Marigold, Clover.
- Posy
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"a bunch of flowers"Description:
A sweet, nostalgic nosegay kind of name, Posy has been long fashionable in England, a country of gardeners, but this pretty bouquet-of-flowers name is still rarely heard in the US, though it could be seen as a more unusual possible alternative to Rosy or Josie.
- Quill
Origin:
Irish, diminutive of Quillan or Quiller; also English word nameMeaning:
"scribe, writer with a quill pen"Description:
Novel choice for the child of authors. Quill could be used to honor someone with a rhyming name, such as Jill, Bill, Phil, or Gil.
- Rose
Origin:
LatinMeaning:
"rose, a flower"Description:
Rose is derived from the Latin rosa, which referred to the flower. There is also evidence to suggest it was a Norman variation of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis, meaning "famous type," and also Hros, "horse". In Old English it was translated as Roese and Rohese.
- Roselil
Origin:
DanishMeaning:
"rose + lily or little rose"Description:
Roselil is a sweet Danish name made famous by the song Roselil og hendes moder (Roselil and Her Mother) and the eponymous collection of children's fables written by author Josefine Ottesen. It is derived from a combination of the Danish word for "rose" plus the word for "lily" or "little".
- Rosie
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"rose"Description:
Rosy-cheeked and cheery, Rosie (also spelled Rosy) has been standing on her own for many decades, back to the days of 1943 musical Sweet Rosie O'Grady. She's one of the perky nickname-names that are filling the popularity lists of other English-speaking countries. In the US, she came back to the Top 1000 in 2013, after a 30 year hiatus.
- Susanna
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Susanna is an old and under-appreciated name, perhaps because of the recent overpopularity of Susan, that is certainly due for a comeback.
- Susannah
Origin:
HebrewMeaning:
"lily"Description:
Susannah is by far the most stylish form of the classic name now that Susan and Suzanne have retired. Susannah has biblical and musical pedigrees, is impervious to trends, and has an irresistible, flowing rhythm. It can be spelled just as properly with or without the final 'h.'
- Sylvie
Origin:
French variation of Latin SylviaMeaning:
"from the forest"Description:
Although Sylvia seems to be having somewhat of a revival among trendsetting baby namers, we'd still opt for the even gentler and more unusual Sylvie. Despite being dated in its native France (where it was popular during the 1950s and 60s), in English-speaking regions it still feels fresh and international without being unfamiliar and has a cosmopolitan, international air. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2016.