Fanny vs Lily
Fanny and Lilycompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Fanny was ranked #468 and Lily #123 among girls in Norway.
Fanny and Lily over time
Fanny and Lily appear together in 1 published list, across 24 years of shared records. Lily held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Fanny in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Fanny reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Lily in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Mirrored each other
Over 24 shared years in Norway · Girls, Lily rose about as far as Fanny fell — from #203 and #642 in 1994 to #468 and #123 in 2025.
List by list
Norway · Girls24 shared years, 1994–2025
Fanny held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Lily in 18.
Highest recorded here: Fanny #199 in 1997, Lily #90 in 2024.
The order changed in 2006: Lily moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #290 and #555; by 2006 that had become #299 and #290.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Fanny #468, Lily #123.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Fanny | Lily |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | From the English word for the lily flower. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | English (flower name) |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈlɪli/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Lil, Lilah, Lillie, Lilly, Lilian |
| Recorded regional usage | NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #468 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #1 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Lily has a recorded origin (English (flower name)); Fanny does not have one recorded yet.
- Fanny and Lily both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Lily; Fanny doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Fanny a "medium" Data Confidence level and Lily a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
Fanny
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #348 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1946–2025
Highest recorded position: #194 among girls in Norway, in 2000 (recorded 1946–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #468 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Lily
Popularity journey
First recorded1981
First recorded at #471 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1981 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025 (recorded 1981–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #9 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls