The baby name Lilibet made headlines in June 2021 when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave it to their second child.
Our Baby Name of the Day is in honor of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor’s birth.
LILY (PROBABLY) CAME FIRST
We tend to think of Lily as short for Lillian, and Elizabeth as a completely separate name.
Maybe …
But chances are good that Lily was one of the dozens of nicknames that emerged from Elizabeth across the ages. Lillian likely developed as an elaboration of Lily – not the other way around.
HER MAJESTY
Born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York in 1926, the current Queen of England was never expected to reign. After all, her uncle ascended the throne in 1936. All assumed he would marry, having children of his own to inherit. Elizabeth and her younger sister, Margaret Rose, would likely have faded into the background.
But then King Edward VIII abdicated, when Princess Elizabeth was just ten. Her father inherited the throne as King George VI.
Fast-forward to 2021, and Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning British monarch. In June of 2022, she’ll celebrate her Platinum Jubilee – seventy years on the throne.
How does this connect to the baby name Lilibet?
Simple. As a child, the future queen answered to Lilibet. Word is that it’s how the future queen pronounced Elizabeth. It remained a family nickname across the years.
And now, it’s the name that Harry and Meghan chose for their daughter, as a way to honor her great-grandmother.
BY THE NUMBERS
Meghan and Harry put the baby name Lilibet on their daughter’s birth certificate, but they weren’t the first.
A handful of girls received the name in the 1980s and 90s, though there have been fewer than five born annually over the last two decades.
There’s also:
- Lilibeth, which peaked in 1996, with 113 births. 13 girls received the name in 2020.
- Lillibeth, given to a smattering of girls over the years.
- The sometimes-heard rarity Lilabeth.
Odds are that more women answered to the nickname Lilibet, but relatively few have been given the formal name.
THE LILY NAMES
The royal couple plans to call their daughter Lili. It offers the same kind of casual charm as her older brother’s name, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
And, as with Archie, it’s a trending name.
Lily and company have dotted the US Top 100 and Top 1000 for much of the twenty-first century. It’s become a near-classic for girls, an ecovintage name that we’re used to hearing. But many of the formal options, like Liliosa and Lilwen, are nearly unknown.
It’s a great strategy for naming a child: blends-in nickname for everyday use; stands-out formal name when you want one.
CASUAL CHARMER
The baby name Lilibet feels a little like a Lily-Bette smoosh, and there’s something sophisticated in the -et ending.
But it’s also casual, a nickname-name promoted to given name status.
It fits with -et ending girl names like Scarlett and Juliet. But it also feels like a tailored, vintage gem, a sister for Evelyn or possibly Simone.
All combined, it’s a casual charmer. It’s hard to go wrong with sweet and stylish Lilibet.
What do you think of the baby name Lilibet? Would you consider it for a daughter?
It’s also on your list of apple names!
I would disagree that “it’s hard to go wrong” with Lilibet when Prince Harry and Meghan are constantly dumping on the monarchy. It’s a weird and provocative choice for them. I think just Lily or Lili would have been more subtle nods toward the Queen, as opposed to taking a name that is all hers.
I think it’s an adorable name, but in real life for *most* people, I feel like it is taken by Queen Elizabeth. However, that makes it perfect for her new great-granddaughter. Such a sweet tribute and connection!
I can imagine many families taking a similar path – using an unexpected family nickname for a baby born today, especially with the name freedom these days.
Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor is a stellar name! It has that romantic 1920s feel, but fits in perfectly today.
I love Lilibet! It’s adorable! It’s British but it could be a double name from the South: Lili Beth goes with Anna Beth, Allie Jo, Ella Mae, and so on. So it crosses boundaries!
But I don’t like Lilibet with Archie as a brother.
If they chose Archie and Lili, both short and sweet, it would be a lovely sibset!
But with Lilibet (even though it’s also a nickname, it feels more complete), Archie seems so short and nickname-y.
I would prefer Archer and Lilibet or Archie and Lili.
I can’t remember if it was the Queen herself or if it was her Grandfather King George the 5th who came up with Lilibet when she was little, also whilst Miss Lilibet Diana is the Sussexes 2nd child she is their 1st daughter (although I am aware that the Duchess suffered a miscarriage in the later part of the global lockdown last year, I don’t think they knew/ disclosed the gender of the little one). I’m quite surprised that the Sussexes didn’t try to join both grandmothers’ names together, I mean I know I may be a bit biased because I created it but I think Doriana is beautiful. As to whether I like Lilibet or not I’m not sure but considering most of the females born into the royal family have Elizabeth as a middle name (Princess Anne, Zara -Anne’s daughter-, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise -Prince Edward’s daughter-, two of Anne’s granddaughters -Zara’s daughter Lena and her son Peter’s daughter Isla- and of course Princess Charlotte*) it’s nice that the Sussexes have managed to keep the name and yet give it somewhat of a fresh twist without doing the obvious and using a known short forms.
*=As Princess Beatrice is currently pregnant only time will tell if she (and her husband) will use Elizabeth as a middle name if the baby is a girl
absolutely LOVE the name. I have considered the name Lilibeth in the past for a daughter. It is so sweet how it honors her great-grandmother and grandmother.
Strongly dislike. Sounds like something an older
Sinling would say instead of pronouncing the name correctly and like they are mocking the queen
It’s very cute. I’m goingbto be interested to see if it will rise in popularity this year. I like other Elizabeth combinations like Annabeth or Annalise too. Emebet always sounds to me like a combination of Emma and Elizabeth even though it’s actually an unrelated Ethiopian name.
I think it’s actually an old German diminutive, the current royal house having a lot of German stock.
Regardless, I love it. It’s a great alternative to Elizabeth and Isabel. And a rare gem besides.
For the Queen specifically, it is a pet name the family used because she lisped when she tried to say Elizabeth as a toddler. But Lili definitely has been used before as a nickname for Elizabeth and I don’t think Lilibet sounds babyish.