Declining since 2012, #4,987 for girls today.
Popularity of Lilla since 1880
Babies named Lilla per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1918, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Lilla's real moment was 1882.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 408 |
| 1890s | 465 |
| 1900s | 431 |
| 1910s | 587 |
| 1920s | 657 |
| 1930s | 389 |
| 1940s | 289 |
| 1950s | 158 |
| 1960s | 108 |
| 1970s | 64 |
| 1980s | 26 |
| 1990s | 55 |
| 2000s | 277 |
| 2010s | 373 |
| 2020s | 153 |
Meaning & origin
Lilla is a name with a brief period of modest popularity in the late 19th century. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1880 and reached its peak rank of 4987 in 1882, when it was given to a small number of girls. Since then, its usage has declined, and it has been falling in popularity since at least 2012. The name's etymology is uncertain; it may have originated as a pet form of Lillian or Lily, or as a borrowing from Swedish and Hungarian, where Lilla means 'little' or serves as a diminutive. Despite its rarity today, Lilla retains a gentle, vintage charm, and its simplicity appeals to parents seeking an uncommon but familiar-sounding name.
The name Lilla appears in English records from the 19th century, possibly as a pet form of names like Lillian or Lily, or as a borrowing from Scandinavian and Hungarian traditions where it is a diminutive of names ending in -lilla. In Swedish and Hungarian, Lilla functions as a feminine given name meaning 'little' or as a short form of names like Karolina. Its use in English peaked in the late 1800s but declined afterward.
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Lilla
Names that share Lilla's style, for a brother or sister.
