Fun Facts About the Name Ily
- 994 babies named Ily: U.S. records list 994 babies given the name Ily from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ily Mean?
Ily is an uncommon given name with no securely recorded etymology of its own. It is normally explained as a clipped or re-spelled form of a longer name rather than a name with an independent root, so any meaning it carries is borrowed from whichever longer name it is taken to shorten. The parent names most often suggested begin with Il- or El-: Ilya, the Slavic and Russian form of Elijah, from Hebrew Eliyahu, usually translated "my God is Yahweh"; Ilana, a modern Hebrew name from ilan, "tree"; and Ilona, the Hungarian form of Helen, whose Greek root is commonly explained as "torch" or "light." Because the shortening is informal and the spelling is not standardized, none of these connections is documented for Ily itself, and the meaning should be treated as uncertain rather than fixed.
Ily Name History & Origins
Ily has no independent history as a traditional given name. In English-speaking countries it appears mainly as a family's own shortened or simplified spelling of a longer name, which is why the same sound is also written Ili or Ilye and why no single line of descent can be traced for the spelling. The longer names behind such shortenings do have documented histories. Ilya became the standard East Slavic form of the prophet Elijah's name and was widely given in Russia and Ukraine through Orthodox tradition. Ilana is a Hebrew name formed from ilan, "tree," and entered wider use with the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language. Ilona is the Hungarian form of Helen and is also found in Romanian and other Central European languages. Clipped forms of this kind are usually private to a family or community, so Ily is best understood as a spelling of convenience attached to one of these longer names rather than as a name with its own separate development.
How Popular is the Name Ily?
Ily has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2015. Its best rank was #2,496 in 2022.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,311 | 47 | 0.0029% |
| 2024 | #3,342 | 47 | 0.0029% |
| 2023 | #3,026 | 55 | 0.0034% |
| 2022 | #2,496 | 72 | 0.0044% |
| 2021 | #3,015 | 55 | 0.0034% |
| 2020 | #3,703 | 40 | 0.0025% |
| 2019 | #3,574 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 2018 | #3,022 | 54 | 0.0032% |
| 2017 | #3,725 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 2016 | #3,347 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2015 | #2,512 | 72 | 0.0040% |
| 2014 | #3,019 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 2013 | #2,519 | 71 | 0.0040% |
| 2012 | #2,813 | 62 | 0.0035% |
| 2011 | #3,153 | 53 | 0.0030% |
| 2010 | #3,590 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 2009 | #4,992 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2008 | #6,014 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2007 | #6,183 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #8,915 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #10,408 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #10,188 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #9,291 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #16,417 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #14,174 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1915 | #4,582 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ily Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Ily's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ily's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.