Head to head · Girls' names
Lilly vs Rosemary
#252 vs #251 in 2025
Rosemary is a whisker ahead (#251 vs #252 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Rosemary is back after a long quiet spell, Lilly 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, Rosemary leads 5 measures of 6; Lilly 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: Lilly #216, Rosemary #782 — Lilly higher
- 1890s: Lilly #260, Rosemary #692 — Lilly higher
- 1900s: Lilly #288, Rosemary #447 — Lilly higher
- 1910s: Lilly #354, Rosemary #226 — Rosemary higher
- 1920s: Lilly #392, Rosemary #106 — Rosemary higher
- 1930s: Lilly #461, Rosemary #99 — Rosemary higher
- 1940s: Lilly #612, Rosemary #89 — Rosemary higher
- 1950s: Lilly #801, Rosemary #151 — Rosemary higher
- 1960s: Lilly #1018, Rosemary #237 — Rosemary higher
- 1970s: Lilly #1610, Rosemary #383 — Rosemary higher
- 1980s: Lilly #1705, Rosemary #445 — Rosemary higher
- 1990s: Lilly #1043, Rosemary #580 — Rosemary higher
- 2000s: Lilly #233, Rosemary #687 — Lilly higher
- 2010s: Lilly #135, Rosemary #532 — Lilly higher
- 2020s: Lilly #241, Rosemary #339 — Lilly higher
Rosemary stood higher in 9 of 15 decades; Lilly has held the lead since the 2000s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Lilly | Rosemary |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #216 | #782 |
| 1890s | #260 | #692 |
| 1900s | #288 | #447 |
| 1910s | #354 | #226 |
| 1920s | #392 | #106 |
| 1930s | #461 | #99 |
| 1940s | #612 | #89 |
| 1950s | #801 | #151 |
| 1960s | #1018 | #237 |
| 1970s | #1610 | #383 |
| 1980s | #1705 | #445 |
| 1990s | #1043 | #580 |
| 2000s | #233 | #687 |
| 2010s | #135 | #532 |
| 2020s | #241 | #339 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Lilly
- Scotland#83
Rosemary
Not charting outside the US.
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Lilly
The lily flower
The word reached English as Latin lilium, which the Romans took from Greek leirion. Lilly also works as a short form of Elizabeth and of Lillian, so a child called Lilly may be arriving by either road — the flower or the abbreviation.
leirion → lilium → lilie → Lily → Lilly
How it traveled
The lily was a name for the flower in English long before it was a name for a person: Old English took lilie straight from Latin lilium. As a personal name it grew from two directions at once — as an affectionate clipping of Elizabeth and Lillian, in use for centuries, and as one of the flower names English speakers adopted with real enthusiasm in the nineteenth century, alongside Rose, Violet and Daisy.
Rosemary
"dew of the sea" (via the herb), or Rose + Mary combined
Two readings compete, and both are real. The herb name descends from Latin ros marinus, "dew of the sea." But the English spelling was reshaped by folk association with the flower name Rose and the name Mary, and many families have used it deliberately as that compound — often to honor two relatives at once. Neither reading cancels the other; the name genuinely holds both.
ros marinus (Latin) → rosmarinus → rosmarine → rosemary (English herb name) → Rosemary
How it traveled
The herb came first: Latin ros marinus traveled into English as rosmarine, then settled as rosemary once speakers reinterpreted the halves as familiar names. Rosemary carried a long European association with remembrance, which is why Shakespeare gives Ophelia the line "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance" in Hamlet, and why the sprig turned up at both weddings and funerals.
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
Lilly
LIL-ee
Stress on the first syllable. Lilly, Lily and Lillie all sound identical, so the spelling is the only thing that distinguishes them out loud.
- Lil — The standard informal clip, used within families and among friends; rarely a legal name on its own.
- Lils — Casual, mostly peer-to-peer and in text messages.
- Lilly-Bee — A household-only compound of the kind the L sound invites; not used outside the family.
- Lillian — Works in reverse — some families register the long form and use Lilly every day.
Rosemary
ROHZ-mair-ee
Stress on the first syllable. Many American speakers reduce the middle to ROHZ-muh-ree; both are standard, and neither needs correcting.
- Rosie — The most common informal short form, and long established as a standalone given name too.
- Rose — Used as a formal-sounding short form; also a full given name in its own right.
- Romy — Chiefly a short form of the German Rosemarie; now widely used as an independent name.
- Rosa — Occasional short form, more usual in Spanish- and Italian-speaking families.
- Also Mary, Ro.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Lilly if you want…
- a name holding steadyLilly is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesLilly is 2 syllables to Rosemary's 3
- a name that charts abroad tooLilly is on the national lists of Scotland
- a long American recordLilly was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Rosemary if you want…
- a name on the way upup 191 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itRosemary runs 3 syllables, Lilly 2
- plenty of nickname options6 recorded short forms — Rosie, Rose and Romy
- a newer arrivalRosemary entered the US charts in 1882
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
Lilly
Strengths
- Instantly readable and instantly pronounceable in English — nobody has to be taught how to say it.
- A long unbroken record on US charts, without ever having been the name everyone in the room had.
- Recognized across German, Scandinavian and other European naming traditions in almost this exact form.
To consider
- Lily is the more familiar spelling in the US, so Lilly will be written the other way on forms, name tags and greetings fairly often. Most families settle into correcting it once and letting the rest go.
- The sound is more common than this particular spelling. Lila, Lilah, Lillian and Lily all circulate, so a Lilly may share a playground with near-twins even while being the only Lilly.
- Lilly is also a well-known American surname and pharmaceutical company name, which occasionally comes up in adult professional settings — a passing remark rather than a real obstacle.
Rosemary
Strengths
- The spelling is fixed by the herb, so almost no one has to have it spelled out twice.
- Ready-made short forms at several lengths — Rosie, Rose, Romy — none of which need inventing.
- Close cousins exist in German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian, so it travels without translation.
To consider
- Ira Levin's novel and the film made from it, Rosemary's Baby, is the association some adults will reach for first. It fades quickly in practice, but it is worth knowing that the joke exists.
- The typical American Rosemary alive today is well into later life, so the name still reads as a grandmother's in many circles — part of why it sounds fresh again, and part of why some ears hear it as old-fashioned.
- Four syllables invites shortening, and Rosie will likely arrive whether or not you offer it.
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 Lilly and Rosemary 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 Lilly and Rosemary?
Put both to the vote.
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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
- Names far more common than their rank admits
- Names ending in -y
- Vintage names making a comeback
- One-decade wonders
- all guides
Where Lilly and Rosemary each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Lilly or Rosemary — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Lilly or Rosemary?
- Rosemary, in 2025: Rosemary ranked #251 with 1,222 babies; Lilly ranked #252 with 1,218 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Lilly or Rosemary?
- Rosemary. Over the last five years Lilly moved down 23 places; Rosemary moved up 191 places.
- Which is the older name, Lilly or Rosemary?
- Lilly was already in use when US records began in 1880; Rosemary entered the US charts in 1882. On the American record, Lilly is the older name.
- How many people are named Lilly and Rosemary?
- About 55,500 people named Lilly are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 93,000 people named Rosemary are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Lillys or Rosemarys in the classroom?
- Lilly will almost certainly be the only one in school. Rosemary will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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