Lily vs Vilja
Lily and Viljacompared 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, Lily was ranked #123 and Vilja #128 among girls in Norway.
Lily and Vilja over time
Lily and Vilja appear together in 1 published list, across 24 years of shared records. Vilja held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Lily 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.
Vilja 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Lily moved ahead of Vilja in Norway · Girls — #142 and #111 the year before became #106 and #114.
List by list
Norway · Girls24 shared years, 2001–2025
Lily held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Vilja in 20.
Highest recorded here: Lily #90 in 2024, Vilja #65 in 2017.
The order changed in 2023: Lily moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #142 and #111; by 2023 that had become #106 and #114.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Lily #123, Vilja #128.
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 | Vilja |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | From the English word for the lily flower. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | English (flower name) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɪli/ | |
| 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 | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #1 (2025) | Norway · Girls #128 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | high | medium |
What the data shows
- Lily has a recorded origin (English (flower name)); Vilja does not have one recorded yet.
- Lily and Vilja both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Lily; Vilja doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
- The available evidence gives Lily a "high" Data Confidence level and Vilja 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 #9 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Vilja
Popularity journey
First recorded1987
First recorded at #685 among girls in Norway in 1987 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1987–2025
Highest recorded position: #65 among girls in Norway, in 2017 (recorded 1987–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #128 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls