Lilith

LIL·ith, IPA /ˈlɪl.ɪθ/. · 2 syllables

Lilith is comfortably familiar.

89/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

Pronunciation & Spelling
Clear, with one common misreading
A documented English pronunciation is on file: LIL-ith, IPA /ˈlɪl.ɪθ/. Commonly mispronounced as LIL-ith with a long second-syllable vowel, or stress shifted to the second syllable, in place of the standard /ˈlɪl.ɪθ/.
91/100
Everyday Use
Low risk
95/100
Growing Up
Strong lifetime fit
Works comfortably across child and adult settings.
82/100
International Use
Broad international fit
Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.
85/100

About the name

Lilith is not a name with a simple, agreed literal meaning — it is the name of a figure whose documented history runs from a contested Mesopotamian demon-class term (līlītu), through a single disputed appearance in the Hebrew Bible (Isaiah 34:14, read as either a demon or a night bird), to a fully developed medieval Jewish folk narrative (the Alphabet of Ben Sira) casting her as Adam's equally created first wife who refuses subservience and leaves Eden. That specific 'refused subservience' narrative strand was later deliberately invoked in modern secular culture — most notably by Sarah McLachlan in naming the feminist music festival Lilith Fair (1997-1999, revived 2010) — and the name also carries a well-known fictional association through psychiatrist Lilith Sternin of 'Cheers'/'Frasier.' Its use as a US given name is recent and still rare, entering SSA rankings only in 2010. The precise literal meaning of Lilith is genuinely unsettled in scholarship: sources consulted this session present competing glosses ('of the night,' 'she-demon,' 'night bird') and note that several once-popular claimed Mesopotamian textual/artistic links are now considered disputed or disproven, rather than a single agreed etymology.

לילית (Lilith), Hebrew; לilītu, Akkadian.

How This Name Lives

AT SCHOOL & DAY TO DAY

For a young child, the name's demon/night-spirit associations are unlikely to be salient to peers, but may be very salient to adults; no direct source assessed childhood-specific reception, so this remains an inference from the documented mythological content rather than a sourced claim.

INTO ADULTHOOD

As a name only entering US SSA rankings in 2010, its reception across a full adult lifespan is not yet documented by usage history; its heavy mythological/demonic association means adult reception likely depends strongly on the bearer's and listeners' familiarity with (and comfort with) that background, which sources consulted do not directly assess.

Cultural Footprint

Lilith is a genuinely mythological/folkloric name rather than an everyday given name with a simple etymology: it names a figure with a documented lineage running from Mesopotamian demon-lore (the lilû class of spirits, later conflated with the child-threatening demon Lamaštu) through the Hebrew Bible (a single disputed reference in Isaiah 34:14) to fully developed medieval Jewish folklore (the Alphabet of Ben Sira's account of Lilith as Adam's first wife). Its adoption as a modern given name and cultural symbol (e.g., Lilith Fair) draws specifically on the 'refused subservience' strand of that folklore as a feminist emblem.

TRACEABLE ORIGIN

Lilith Fairfeminist touring music festival (1997-1999, revived 2010) founded by Sarah McLachlan, who explicitly named it after the medieval Jewish legend of Lilith refusing subservience to Adam
Lilith Sterninpsychiatrist character in 'Cheers' and 'Frasier,' played by Bebe Neuwirth · two Emmy Awards for the role

Community Impressions

Carries strong, widely recognized mythological/folkloric weight (Adam's first wife, night-demon) rather than a neutral or purely aesthetic impression; increasingly also carries a feminist-symbolic association via Lilith Fair's explicit invocation of the 'refused subservience' narrative.

How this name is commonly received · not used in the score

The Decision

Lilith is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

A documented English pronunciation is on file. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

Lilith

Lilith is comfortably familiar.

Name Profile

About the name

Lilith over time

Rank #277 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Pronunciation & Forms

How This Name Lives

Cultural Footprint

Community Impressions

More about Lilith

Names around it

The Decision

See how it works with a surname.