Lily vs Sadie
Lily and Sadiecompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Lily was ranked #1 and Sadie #5 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Lily was ranked #2 and Sadie #134 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Lily was ranked #4 and Sadie #87 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Lily was ranked #6 and Sadie #42 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Lily was ranked #7 and Sadie #28 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Lily was ranked #9 and Sadie #49 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Lily and Sadie over time
Lily and Sadie appear together in 4 published lists, across 87 years of shared records. Lily held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Sadie in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Lily reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Sadie in 1. 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Lily and Sadie were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #2 and #134.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Lily #2 in 2025, Sadie #129 in 2023.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Lily held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Sadie in 0.
Highest recorded here: Lily #2 in 2025, Sadie #129 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Lily #2, Sadie #134.
Republic of Ireland · Girls29 shared years, 1981–2025
Lily held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Sadie in 0.
Highest recorded here: Lily #1 in 2025, Sadie #5 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Lily #1, Sadie #5.
Northern Ireland · Girls19 shared years, 2005–2024
Lily held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Sadie in 0.
Highest recorded here: Lily #5 in 2011, Sadie #22 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Lily #6, Sadie #42.
New Zealand · Girls9 shared years, 2014–2023
Lily held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Sadie in 0.
Highest recorded here: Lily #5 in 2022, Sadie #28 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Lily #7, Sadie #28.
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 | Lily | Sadie |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From the English word for the lily flower. | A diminutive form of the name Sarah. |
| Origin | English (flower name) | Biblical Hebrew, diminutive form |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɪli/ | /ˈseɪ.di/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Lil, Lilah, Lillie, Lilly, Lilian | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #1 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #5 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Lily is recorded with a English (flower name) origin, while Sadie is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, diminutive form origin.
- Lily and Sadie both have 2 syllables.
- Lily's recorded meaning differs from Sadie's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Lily a "high" Data Confidence level and Sadie a "medium" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
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 #2 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Sadie
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #372 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #134 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls