Trilby
Feminine · “a coinage by George du Maurier”
Trilby was invented for a novel, and the novel was a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic. It gave English a hat, a word for a manipulator and, in America, a town and a small crop of daughters.
How old is the name Trilby?
Trilby first appears in US birth records in 1895 — 130 years ago. The typical Trilby alive today was born around 1939, making them about 86 years old. About 300 people named Trilby are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Trilby most popular?
Trilby peaked in 1895, reaching #932 nationally. See the whole 1895 chart.
Where it comes from
From Trilby (novel) to Trilby
The story of Trilby
Du Maurier's Trilby is a young artists' model in Paris who falls under the power of Svengali, a musician who hypnotizes her into becoming a great singer; when he dies, her voice goes with him. The book set off a craze, and svengali became an English word for anyone who controls another person. The soft felt hat worn in the stage version became the trilby, and in Florida a railroad town was renamed Trilby after the novel, with streets named for its characters. Parents gave the heroine's name to daughters too.
Meaning
a coinage by George du Maurier
Trilby was made up by George du Maurier for Trilby O'Ferrall, the heroine of his novel Trilby. It has no older meaning.
How the name formed
- Trilbynovel
- Trilby
Pronouncing Trilby
TRIL-bee
Two syllables, stressed on the first.
Nicknames for Trilby
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1895
- Most girls named
- 192522 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #932reached in 1895
- Change vs 2008
- −14.3%6 in 2010, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Trilbys among us
people named Trilby are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Trilby sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a documented literary origin.
- It is short and easy to say.
- It is almost never given now, so it is distinctive.
- Most people know it as a hat before they know it as a name.
- The novel's heroine is a victim of Svengali, and the book's portrayal of him draws on antisemitic stereotypes that some readers will know.
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What they receive
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Trilby
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Trilbys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Trilby are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Trilby in 2025?
- Trilby is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Trilby with classmates?
- Trilby will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More T names
The most-given names starting with T, all years combined.
Teresa#908 · Theresa#1548 · Tiffany#878 · Tammy#3645 · Taylor#403 · Tina#2778 · Tracy#2153 · Thelma#4661
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Trilby? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Trilby and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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