Lilith (given name)
Lady Lilith by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1867. | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Language | Akkadian from lilû[1] |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | spirit, demon |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Lilit, Lilita, Lillith |
Lilith is a feminine given name sometimes given in reference to Lilith, a character in Jewish folklore who was said to be the first wife of the first man Adam who disobeyed him, was banished from the Garden of Eden, and who became a mythical she-demon.[2] The mythological tale has inspired modern feminists.[3][4][5]
It was also the name of Lilith Fair, a concert tour and traveling music festival from 1997 to 1999 that featured only female artists and female-led bands.
Lilith and Black Moon Lilith are placements in modern astrology that are said to represent women's liberation.[6]
Its similarity in sound to the etymologically unrelated, popular name Lily might also have increased awareness of the name.[7] Other names starting with the letter L as well as mythological names have been well used by new parents in recent years.[8]
Lillith is a spelling variant. Other variants include the Armenian Lilit and the Latvian Lilita.[7][2]
Usage
Lilith has been among the top 1,000 names in use for newborn girls in the United States since 2010 and among the top 300 names since 2021.[9] It has been among the top 1,000 names in use for newborn girls in England and Wales since 2015.[10] It ranked among the top 500 names for newborn girls in Canada in 2021.[11]
People
- Lilith Martin Wilson (1886–1937), American politician
- Lilith Nagar (born 1935), Israeli Arabic-language television host, actress, and singer
- Lilith Norman (1927–2017), Australian children's writer
- Lilith Saintcrow (born 1976), American author
- Lilith Stangenberg (born 1988), German stage and film actress
- Lilita Bērziņa (1903–1983), Latvian stage and film actress
Notable fictional characters
- Lilith Clay, also known as Omen, a DC Comics super heroine
- Lilith (Marvel Comics)
- Lilith Sternin, a character on the television series Cheers and Frasier
- Lilith (Supernatural)
- Lilith Iyapo, a character in the Lilith's Brood science fiction book trilogy by Octavia Butler
- Lilith Clawthorne, a character from The Owl House
See also
- Lilit Hovhannisyan (born 1987), Armenian pop singer
- Lilit Mkrtchian (born 1982), Armenian chess player
- Lilit Pipoyan (born 1955), Armenian musician
- Lilita Zatlere (born 1953), Latvian businesswoman
- Lilith (disambiguation)
Notes
- ^ Blair, Judit M. (2009). De-demonising the Old Testament : an investigation of Azazel, Lilith, Deber, Qeteb and Reshef in the Hebrew Bible. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-150131-9.
- ^ a b Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Lilith". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "In some mythology, Lilith, not Eve, was the first woman, created simul-taneously with Adam. Who is she?" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-27.
- ^ "Was Lilith the First Feminist in Folklore? – Centre of Excellence". www.centreofexcellence.com. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "On International Women's Day, A History of Lilith. Was She a Demon or the First Feminist We Know?". HuffPost. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Kelly, Aliza (2022-11-24). "A Handy Guide to Astrology's Black Moon Lilith". The Cut. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ a b "Lilith – Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity". Nameberry. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Williams, Alex (12 June 2021). "Lilith, Lilibet … Lucifer? How Baby Names Went to 'L': Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are hardly the only new parents gravitating toward quirk, family tradition and 'L' names". New York Times. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Popular Baby Names". www.ssa.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ "Popularity for the name Lilith – Behind the Name". www.behindthename.com. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.