Head to head · Girls' names
Lilian vs Margo
#560 vs #559 in 2025
Margo is a whisker ahead (#559 vs #560 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Margo is back after a long quiet spell, Lilian is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Margo leads 5 measures of 6; Lilian leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Lilian #445, Margo — — Lilian higher
- 1890s: Lilian #556, Margo — — Lilian higher
- 1900s: Lilian #677, Margo #1764 — Lilian higher
- 1910s: Lilian #750, Margo #1841 — Lilian higher
- 1920s: Lilian #1235, Margo #1474 — Lilian higher
- 1930s: Lilian #2097, Margo #802 — Margo higher
- 1940s: Lilian #2418, Margo #329 — Margo higher
- 1950s: Lilian #2649, Margo #362 — Margo higher
- 1960s: Lilian #2169, Margo #487 — Margo higher
- 1970s: Lilian #1922, Margo #709 — Margo higher
- 1980s: Lilian #1685, Margo #926 — Margo higher
- 1990s: Lilian #1065, Margo #1393 — Lilian higher
- 2000s: Lilian #527, Margo #2096 — Lilian higher
- 2010s: Lilian #523, Margo #1478 — Lilian higher
- 2020s: Lilian #591, Margo #611 — Lilian higher
Lilian stood higher in 9 of 15 decades; Lilian has held the lead since the 1990s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Lilian | Margo |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #445 | — |
| 1890s | #556 | — |
| 1900s | #677 | #1764 |
| 1910s | #750 | #1841 |
| 1920s | #1235 | #1474 |
| 1930s | #2097 | #802 |
| 1940s | #2418 | #329 |
| 1950s | #2649 | #362 |
| 1960s | #2169 | #487 |
| 1970s | #1922 | #709 |
| 1980s | #1685 | #926 |
| 1990s | #1065 | #1393 |
| 2000s | #527 | #2096 |
| 2010s | #523 | #1478 |
| 2020s | #591 | #611 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Lilian
Either "lily" or a pet form of Elizabeth, depending on which line you follow
Two roads meet at this spelling. The older one runs through Elizabeth: English records from the sixteenth century onward use Lilian and Lillian as familiar forms of that name, alongside Lisbet, Libby and Lily. The other runs through the flower — Latin lilium, the lily, long a symbol of purity in Christian art — which is how most parents read the name today. Both are genuine; neither cancels the other.
Elisabeth → Elizabeth → Lily → Lilian
How it traveled
The name grew up in England as a household nickname. Elizabeth was overwhelmingly common there, and it splintered into dozens of pet forms — Lily among them, and from Lily, Lilian.
Margo
pearl
Margo descends from Margaret, whose root is Greek margarites, "pearl." The link is uncontested; only the route through French shortening is what makes Margo look different on paper.
Margarites → Margarita → Marguerite → Margot → Margo
How it traveled
The Greek margarites, "pearl," passed into Latin as Margarita and became one of medieval Europe's most widely borne women's names, spread by the cult of Saint Margaret. French speakers clipped Marguerite down to Margot — the pet name of Marguerite de Valois, sixteenth-century queen of Navarre, whom Alexandre Dumas later called la Reine Margot in his 1845 novel.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Lilian
LIL-ee-un
Stress on the first syllable. Some families say it in two beats, LIL-yun; both are ordinary and neither needs correcting.
- Lily — The most used short form, and a very well established given name on its own — which means a Lilian who goes by Lily is often assumed to be a Lily.
- Lil — Informal, family-and-friends register; long attested for Lilian and Lillian alike.
- Lilli — Informal, and standard as an independent name in German-speaking countries.
- Ana — Used mainly by speakers of the Liliana form rather than of Lilian itself.
Margo
MAR-goh
Stress on the first syllable, and the final syllable rhymes with "go." Identical to the French-spelled Margot, whose -t is silent.
- Mags — Informal, used among friends and family; shared with Margaret and Maggie.
- Margie — Informal; also stands alone as a given name, and still found among older generations.
- Marg — Clipped and informal, more common in Australian and Canadian English than American.
- Go — A family-only shortening; not used outside the household.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Lilian if you want…
- a name holding steadyLilian is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itLilian runs 3 syllables, Margo 2
- a long American recordLilian was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Margo if you want…
- a name on the way upup 206 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesMargo is 2 syllables to Lilian's 3
- a newer arrivalMargo entered the US charts in 1905
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Lilian
Strengths
- The short form Lily is already familiar everywhere, so no explaining is needed — it comes with the name rather than having to be invented.
- Documented in English since the sixteenth century and in continuous use since, without a period of disuse to explain away.
- Recognizable across languages through Liliana, Liliane and Lilianna, which helps in bilingual families.
To consider
- Lillian, with two Ls, is far more common in the United States. Expect the doubled spelling to be the default guess on forms, emails and class lists, and expect to correct it politely for life.
- Lily is extremely popular as a standalone name, so a Lilian who uses the short form may effectively be one of several Lilys in a room even while remaining the only Lilian.
- In French, Lilian is a masculine given name and Liliane the feminine one — worth knowing if the family has French-speaking connections, though in the US the spelling reads as a girl's name without hesitation.
Margo
Strengths
- Spelled exactly as it sounds in English, which sidesteps the silent -t that trips people up with Margot.
- Part of an unbroken family of names — Margaret, Marguerite, Margarita — recognizable across most European languages.
- Already short: two syllables, no need for a nickname, though Mags and Margie are there if wanted.
To consider
- Margo, Margot and Margaux all exist and all sound alike. Expect a lifetime of people writing the French -t, and of gently correcting them.
- Because it began as a short form of Marguerite, some people will assume Margo is short for Margaret and ask for the "full" name.
- The name is still strongly represented among older generations, so it may read as a grandmother's name to some ears — which is much of the reason it is being picked up again now.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Lilian and Margo in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Lilian and Margo?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- Quiet perennials: a century old, never popular
- Names far more common than their rank admits
- Vintage names making a comeback
- all guides
Where Lilian and Margo each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Lilian or Margo — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Lilian or Margo?
- Margo, in 2025: Margo ranked #559 with 540 babies; Lilian ranked #560 with 537 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Lilian or Margo?
- Margo. Over the last five years Lilian moved up 96 places; Margo moved up 206 places.
- Which is the older name, Lilian or Margo?
- Lilian was already in use when US records began in 1880; Margo entered the US charts in 1905. On the American record, Lilian is the older name.
- How many people are named Lilian and Margo?
- About 18,000 people named Lilian are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 22,500 people named Margo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Lilians or Margos in the classroom?
- Lilian will almost certainly be the only one in school. Margo will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Lilian, Margo and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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