View Message

[Opinions] Liliana vs Lillian?
What are your opinions on the names Liliana and Lillian? And which do you prefer? Liliana has been on my list for ages but I'm starting to also like Lillian.
(As a note, she would not be Lily, though I do think Lil is cute and unavoidable).
Thanks! :)
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

Both are absolutely beautiful names but I prefer Liliana.
vote up1
I really like Liliana, but I think Lillian is easier to spell and would be easier for a child to get used to.
vote up1
I much prefer Lillian. I know Lillian is more common right now but I think that'll change soon and if you combine spellings Liliana is in the top 100 as well.Lillian just makes me think of silent movie glamour (Lillian Gish) whereas Liliana seems so princess-y. It might be because many names that end in -a or -ana annoy me at the moment. I can't wait until names that end in -e or -n or even -ine come back into style. There are so many similar names to Liliana such as Ariana and Mariana as well as Adriana which are popular now.I actually prefer it spelled Lillie as a nickname for Lillian and I like it, of course. But I think it's avoidable. She might however decide by herself to go by it later on. I don't think Lil is unavoidable as all, I know a Liliana who always gets called by her full name, never Lil or Lily. I know another one who is always Lilly. I really dislike Lil.
vote up1
I like both Liliana and Lillian but I prefer Lillian. I used to really love Lillian when I was a young girl but I used to dislike how popular it seemed so I always slightly preferred Gillian / Jillian. Lately I'm starting to really like Lillian again in spite of its popularity, it turns out it wasn't even popular when I was a kid, I just assumed it was because I knew two of them and there was a character in a cartoon with the name. Lillian is very popular in the US at the moment but I know you are not from here, in England Lillian isn't in the top 100 so it isn't very popular. Anyway I choose Lillian, it just sounds so pretty and feminine without being over the top.I like both Lil and Lillie / Lilly / Lily as nn's. Even Ann or Ani / Annie would work as nn's, but I prefer Lil and Lillie as nn's. I can't decide if I like Lil or Lillie more, so if I had a daughter Lillian I'd use both nn's. You can never have enough nn's, why limit your self to just one if you don't need to?
-----------------------------

This message was edited 3/5/2013, 12:13 PM

vote up1
Thank you, and I note on Lily...Maybe I could have worded it better, but I do think that Lily is avoidable especially when she is a young girl. I wouldn't intentionally call her Lily and if others do without hearing me do so first I would be rather surprised! However if when she is older she likes Lily compared to Lillian or Liliana, I would not refuse to call her it as I do not hate Lily, I just dislike it's popularity. :)On the Lillian vs Liliana debate I think we're rather equal - though I shall leave Liliana on my list for now :)
vote up1
I don't like Lily names in general, but this time I'd go for Lillian without a moment's hesitation. Lilliana could be Lily-Anna, could be Lily-Ahna and either way is long with an uncomfortable rhythm.Why the double-L, by the way?
vote up1
I've no idea! I've only ever seen Lillian spelt with two "L"s I thought it was normal... :)
vote up1
It's probably one of those names that have different default spellings in British English and American English. I've only ever seen Lilian with one L.Rather like Beverly in the States and Beverley elsewhere.
vote up1
I'm uncertain if you are saying that Lillian is used in England and the US but not much elsewhere or if you are saying that Lillian is common in the US but not England.Lillian is definitely the more common spelling in the US, I'm not certain about England but Millie is from England and she is only familiar with the spelling Lillian. That might be what you were trying to comment on.
----------------------------

This message was edited 3/6/2013, 10:41 AM

vote up1
I'm pretty naive when it comes to US and popular baby names, spellings etc, here in England I'm quite certain that Lillian is the most common spelling though it is not a very common name so it's hard to be sure. :)
vote up1
Neither! I like Lily alone, but Lillian would be my preference.
vote up1
I call my sister Lilliana even though it's not her name! And she calls me Uplyana. Er... makes sense in context.I prefer Lillian. Liliana seems too elaborate. I also can only think of my sister and it's a jokey nn so that puts it further into the negative column. Lillian is so pretty and I can see it on all ages. Lil is a great nickname but I also adore Lily. I don't think Lily is 100% unavoidable but when she's young if you remain adamant I'm sure you won't have too much trouble. And, really, if she likes to be called Lily, after a while the name might grow on you because she'll be your lovebug daughter anyway. :)
vote up1
I'd go with Lillian. Liliana is pretty, but a bit too frilly for me. Lillian seems like it would suit a wider variety of personalities than Liliana.
vote up1
Well....I like just plain Lily best. Liliana would be next and Lillian last.
Liliana is a little too frilly for my taste but still pretty. Lillian feels old, dated and stuffy to me.
vote up1
Well, people are going to try and call her Lily, regardless. You're going to be doing a lot of correcting people when you first meet them, but if that doesn't bother you than okay. I actually think she'd be far more likely to be called Lily than Lil. Anyway:Liliana- I can't stand Liliana. I think it's the ultimate spoiled princess brat name. It's just so unnecessarily elaborate.Lillian- Stately. It's grown on me lately. It's fairly no-nonsense. So obviously, I would choose Lillian.
vote up1
I think I would be a bit surprised if people instantly called a Lillian or Liliana Lily without hearing me do so first, personally I find that that would be rude and a bit obnoxious.
vote up1
~Are You A Bit Uptight?~Verdict: probably
vote up1
How have you concluded that I am uptight from my comment?
I if was introduced to an Eleanor, I would call her Eleanor unless she told me specifically or a relative did that she liked or I "could" call her Ellie. Doing it without such prompt or permission would be rude in my opinion. But if you are okay with doing that then I guess we just come from different societies - this does not mean that I am uptight.
vote up1
You're probs uptight just saying
vote up1
Considering you're judging this on one statement alone, I'd say you're wrong and have no basis for that conclusion.
vote up1
My basis is that you'd find it obnoxious for someone to call someone Lily if they were introduced as Lillian or Liliana
vote up1
Yes... And still I find it difficult to understand why this makes me uptight. Where I come from you call someone by their first name unless they give you other instructions, this is how teachers acted in three of my schools, and people in my local community.
vote up1
It's absolutely rude to do that, but I've still seen people automatically shorten names. As a teacher, I can tell you that teachers do it all the time, maybe because we have so many kids to keep track of.
vote up1
I think most people won't automatically try to call her Lily but the occasional rare person might. I went by my full name Marisa yet there were some people who upon meeting me came up with their own thing to call me. I had a high school teacher who insisted on calling me Maris pronounced MAH-ris. At first I was like "My name is Marisa." She was like "I know" I'm certain if I told her don't call me Maris she wouldn't have but I never told her not to because I didn't mind the nn.
---------------------------------

This message was edited 3/5/2013, 12:35 PM

vote up1
The Lilyana I know is a bit of a diva, and has problems with her friends because she's bossy. We never call her Lily, though. She's always Lilyana.
vote up1
Lilian, with one l. Or Lilias.
I don't think Lily would be avoidable, though.
vote up1
Both names are gorgeous, but I think I prefer Liliana. It seems more friendly to me.
vote up1
Liliana for sure, I love it. I actually dislike Lillian even though they are so similar. I find it snobby sounding, not sure why.:)
vote up1
I prefer Liliana. It's very similar but less uptight, if that makes any sense. Compared to Liliana, Lillian sounds like someone who would have a boring job, work in an office all day, and never do anything fun. I think it's because of the similarity to Jillian. (I view Jillian that way mostly. I do sort of like Lillian by itself, but when comparing it to Liliana I don't like it as much.)
Lil is cute and unavoidable. She might go by Lily though, if she has either of these names. A Liliana could also go by Liana or even Ana. (Actually, it's possible for a Liliana to go by Lilian sometimes, and then you'd basically have the best of both worlds...)

This message was edited 3/4/2013, 2:05 PM

vote up1
"she would not be Lily"Unless you are planning on having a child with no opinion - and I would say the odds of that are quite miniscule, I don't think you can count on her not ever being Lily. Both Lilian and Lillian very naturally shorten to Lily. If you adopt a different nickname early on, then it may be unlikely that she would choose Lily, but she still may choose it and you'd have to get over it. Just sayin'I prefer Lillian, because Liliana is a bit frilly and over the top for me. I agree that Lil is cute either way. An(n)a or Liana could also work for Liliana.
vote up1
I agree. This is why I'm 100% against using a name if you dislike the shortened version. What if the kid likes being called Lily? Then you would hear a name you hate every day. Not fun.

This message was edited 3/4/2013, 2:47 PM

vote up1
I don't dislike Lily. I dislike how popular Lily is. If she wants to be Lily then fine, but what I'm saying is that I wouldn't call her Lily from an early age, it is not a nickname that I would encourage.
vote up1
Liliana, every time!I dislike Lillian, that's just personal, though.
vote up1
I prefer Lillian. Liliana is very pretty but a bit too flowery and girly for me - Lillian feels more substantial and I think it would age well. Lil is a cute nickname, but people might still call her Lily, even if you don't.
vote up1
I know a lot of little girls with the -iana/-ianna suffix (three of them being Lilianas) so to me it just sounds trendy. Lillian on the other hand is a lot more grounded.
vote up1
I love both, but prefer Liliana as to honor my grandmother without the same name. I am the contrarian to the rest.

This message was edited 3/4/2013, 10:34 AM

vote up1
I prefer Lillian. Liliana is a bit too frilly for me, I think it's the -ana ending. I prefer the similar Lilia to either of them, though.
vote up1
Lillian
It's more classic, established, less frilly and works great on an adult as well, which Liliana doesn't in my opinion. Liliana sounds like a disney princess or something.
vote up1
I prefer Lillian, though I don't like it much. Liliana is too frilly for me.
vote up1